Landscape of the Nansha Marina club, which is the second biggest cruise club in China after the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre in Shandong province.

Ian Fok Chun-wan,CEO of the Fok Ying Tung Group, points out that the best advantage Nansha has isits coastal resource. Indeed, the district has been making efforts to build a modern coastal citysustained with international wisdom.

One of the landmark projects that marked Nansha as a modern coastal city was the marine clubfounded by the Fok Ying Tung Group. It contains an industry acknowledged, high-end, five-star cruiseclub.

However, the five-star club still must struggle over hurdles. One problem is that it is difficult for HongKong cruises to obtain licenses to sail into the port. Secondly, getting a driving license on the mainlandis much more difficult than in Hong Kong. Though it takes only one and half hours' sailing from Hong Kong to Nansha by yacht, it requires threedays to acquire the permit, according to Albert Khong, general manager of the Nansha Marina.

The club was in talks with the government to reduce the application time from three days to one day.

"Cruise is a new thing for the mainland, and there's no mature system to regulate the industry. Wehope to set Nansha Marina Club as a testing ground to launch pioneering regulations, also as agateway for overseas cruises to get into south China," said Khong.

"The biggest market is not Hong Kong, but the mainland market and the general consumers," saidKhong.

Though the club is extravagantly decorated with cruise ships and yachts in mind, it was built as aluxury entertainment locale not exclusive to the wealthy but for general consumers who love marinesports, said Khong. Yachts, for example, cost anywhere from 8,000 yuan to billions.

The club now offers a summer course teaching youthful students to sail. It will hold an annual globalcruise exhibition in October.

With a total investment of 270 million yuan, the club had sold out the first lot of 70 berths. Whencompleted, there will be 352 berths, making it the second largest cruise club in China after theQingdao Olympic Sailing Centre in Shandong province.

michelle@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 08/18/2012 page4)