Foreseeing the growing passion for maritime leisure and entertainment among Chinese would call for more experienced world-class terminal builders, managers and boat captains, French captain Godfrey Zwygart rose to the challenge and moved to Sanya in 2010 to pioneer development of a high-end yachting service in Hainan.

Now the director of Sanya Serenity Marina, Zwygart was the pride of more than 90 employees for having led them in building a world-class marina crowned with the Platinum Gold Anchor Accreditation from the Marine Industry Association in 2018, the first in Asia and the second in the world to earn the top yachting honor.

Data from the Sanya Yacht Industry Association showed that in 2019, the number of yacht sailings reached 91,243 in the coastal city, a year-on-year increase of 27.77 percent, while the number of sailing tourists topped 783，110, up 29.73 percent year-on-year.