A Shenzhen deputy to the Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress proposed piloting an international yacht port in Dapeng to promote marine tourism.

On the eve of the opening of the 2nd session of the 13th Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress, Qiu Chen, in an interview with the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, said that a pilot free yacht port would be a way to explore national marine administration reform and discover a replicable experience that could be widely promoted.

Additionally, through the yacht pilot program and free port policies, the city could set examples and provide references for other cities in similar situations regarding innovative management, operation mechanisms and trade facilitations, according to Qiu.

Shenzhen is a major city on the mainland engaging in yacht trading and consumption. According to industrial experience, for each dollar invested in the yacht manufacturing industry, US$6.5-7 can be generated for related industries.

“Dapeng Peninsula is advantageous for a yacht free port as it has open sea space, a yacht industry base and an open port,” said Qiu.

Dapeng Peninsula is home to Daya Bay and Dapeng Bay, and has three private yacht ports that can berth 622 yachts. Four yacht clubs and two yacht-manufacturing bases are stationed in the area. The two manufacturing bases can produce 30 yachts a year, with a sales volume reaching 100 million yuan (US$14.82 million).

In addition, the city has completed a feasibility study over the construction of a tourism port, and the construction will start this year.