Taiwan is surrounded by sea, and has been dependent upon the ocean through its history. Such privileged natural conditions also have led the marine industry chain to a bustling development. In recent years, the government has greatly supported the shipbuilding industry and national manufacturing of yachts; the latter has earned Taiwan particular distinction. Despite facing competition from traditional yacht manufacturers in countries like Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands, Taiwan has become the sixth-largest manufacturing nation in the world and the first in Asia thanks to its superyachts (yachts over 24 meters in length). Q1 to Q3 2019 saw export profits of US$186 million.

Many of Taiwan’s yacht exports’ have been to the US, especially Florida. In 2019, Florida imported a total of USD$826.7 million in yachts from around the world, of which $138.5 million were directly imported from Taiwan.

The Taiwan International Boat Show is held in Kaohsiung biannually. In 2018, it attracted over 20,000 visitors and buyers from over thirty countries. Most buyers came from China, USA, Korea, Japan, and Singapore. Thus, it can be considered an international yacht show of importance to the Asia-Pacific region. This year, due to the increasingly acute global situation due to the coronavirus disease, the 2020 show has been postponed to March 10th through 13th, 2022.

Despite several factors that contributed to a slight drop in global yacht demand in 2019, Taiwan yacht brands still achieved considerable breakthroughs thanks to their customized design, professional woodwork, advanced material R&D, and an agile and highly efficient supply chain. Take Horizon Yachts – winner of the Taiwan Excellence Award – as an example. In 2019, its annual revenue grew by 14.3%, making it the 9^th largest superyacht manufacturer in the world – up two places from 2018.

The 28^th Taiwan Excellence Awards Selection was organized by the Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs and implemented by TAITRA. An 80-foot luxury motor yacht from Horizon Yachts and the Monte Fino V76 from Kha Shing Ent. (with self-owned brand Monte Fino Yachts) stood out as the

only two yacht winning products during this edition. Moreover, Monte Fino V76 took the award upon its first submission this year. Kha Shing Ent. and famous British designer Humphreys collaborated in the Monte Fino V76 project. With a sleek design that combines a luxurious and imposing brand image, Monte Fino V76 defies and surpasses the poise of 100-ft yachts.

Taiwan Excellence uses diverse marketing methods to enhance industrial advertising and increases in-depth coverage. It leverages its social media accounts, online platform promotion, and international media publicity in different locations to strengthen the Taiwanese yacht industry image of excellence and international branding in Europe, the Americas, and the New Southbound markets: Southeast Asia and Australasia. For more information, please visit Taiwan Excellence’s official website:  https://www.taiwanexcellence.org/tw