Traditional Mediterranean summer holiday spots are being overlooked in favour of other up and coming destinations, with many international superyachts flocking to Croatia and Turkey.
With some European countries reimposing restrictions to avoid another Covid-19 flareup, the ultra-rich are abandoning some of their usual mooring spots. At least 63 mega-yachts are now sailing off Turkey, the most since 2017 and up from 26 at this time last year, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Great news for a country whose currency plunged to a record low amid a surge in foreign capital outflows.
The 459-foot Scheherazade sailed into Turkey over the weekend. The 325-foot Madame Gu, reportedly owned by Andrey Skoch, and the 280-foot Pacific of Russia’s second-richest man, Leonid Mikhelson, are among the other ships dropping anchor off the country’s coast.
Turkey has long been a favourite for Russian vacationers. According to the Daily Sabah, when Russia lifted a travel ban last week, 80 flights carrying 23,000 revellers arrived in Antalya in just one day. During the early stages of the health crisis, Turkey was seen as a Covid-19 safe haven among wealthy individuals, which was reflected in an increase in July’s yacht numbers.
Croatia and Greece are attracting more superyachts too. The largest vessels in Croatia are Roman Abramovich’s 533-foot Eclipse, the fourth-longest yacht in the world, and the 381-foot Ulysses, owned by New Zealand’s richest man, Graeme Hart. The newly delivered 312-foot O’Pari and the 361-foot Radiant are among those spotted in Greece, according to Bloomberg.
On the other side of the Mediterranean, Spain witnessed the largest decrease in superyacht count, with 26 of them leaving its shores since July. The largest yacht in the world, the 590-foot Azzam owned by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was seen in early August off Cadiz after completing a retrofit in a Spanish shipyard weeks earlier.
