Worldwide Yacht and Megayacht Trends

The European superyacht industry has blossomed over the final ten years, with multi millionaires and billionaires buying yachts in the tens of millions of Euros price range – and when it comes to some billionaires they seem intent on buying a fleet that would place some small countries navies to shame.

Despite being the moment smallest country in the world Monaco has established herself as the natural European residence for many of the world’s wealthiest men and women due to her tax haven status, with many more visiting on holiday while cruising the Mediterranean for the Monte Carlo casino – and Monaco has managed to stay as a summit destination by cleverly spotting and exploiting trends ahead of her competitiors.

The Monaco Yacht Exhibit is part of the attraction for the super-rich, and has firmly established itself as the main super yacht exhibit in the world over the final fifteen years. For Monaco itself the Yacht Exhibit is moment only to the Monaco Grand Prix for visitor numbers. Combined with the Hotel de Paris and other Monaco hotels the principality has successfully secured her position as a natural environment for the wealthy to live or visit.

Monaco is showing that cuts in carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases are possible in a land of plenty, and the Monaco Yacht Exhibit has successfully achieved carbon neutral status for the 2005 and 2006 events, with plans to repeat this for 2007, establishing itself on the map of Monaco as an environmentally friendly event.

To attain carbon neutral status final year, the organisers sponsored various projects in Europe and further afield to offset carbon emissions generated by the exhibit.

The exhibit paid for wind turbines In Modern Zealand, generating sufficient electricity for 45,000 homes and in Brittany France paid for a heath to be planted with chesnut and oak trees to guard water catchments and supply a recreational area, while in the USA paid for a methane capture system, reducing the amounts being emitted by some 95 per cent.

Prince Albert

The leadership for the go to a greener Monaco has come from Sovereign Prince Albert, who has been successfully campaigning among world leaders since his inauguration two years ago to go the environment up the political agenda, and it has brought the issue to the fore at residence.

Prince Albert signed Monaco up for the Kyoto Protocol shortly after fitting Sovereign, and a few months later left behind the consolation and glamour of his palace and Casino Square for the wilds of Antartica to see for himself the hurt being caused to the glaciers because of global warming.

Upon his return he set up a foundation with his own money to study the affect of rising sea levels, and since then has been active in the attempts to publicise the need to cut CO2 emissions in the industrialised world.

In recent months he has met both Prince Charles and President Chirac of France to discuss global warming. Although he spent some time in the US in his early days and speaks English fluently, he hasn’t had to memorize French and can converse with leaders the world over without the need for a translator.

Approach to the Fontvieille harbour where the yacht exhibit takes place, a modern island is to be built, and the bidders have been told that a successful application must be environmentally friendly, and some proposals represent that the island will be a floating one to avoid any disruption or hurt to marine life.

With genuine estate in Monaco the highest priced in Europe, the modern apartment buildings will be welcomed by the property sector as there is a very genuine shortage of property for modern residents, forcing prices even higher. One bedroom apartments are currently exchanging owners at over a million Euros.

The environmentally friendly island will too include modern Monaco hotels, a university and possibly a museum, with the winning bidder due to be announced towards the conclusion of the year.