Yacht makers including Italy’s Benetti are betting that Chinese billionaires will develop a taste for luxury living on the seas.

(Hong Kong) ? On a sunny day, the Mingfa superyacht sails around the Hong Kong coastline, its owner, a Chinese billionaire, basking in the sunshine on the upper deck as he appreciates the island’s unique skyline.
In the evenings, he can be found nibbling on snacks made by chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants in between crooning his favorite songs in the purpose-built karaoke room.
Welcome to the latest must-have plaything of China’s super-rich.
Starting at 24 meters long and stretching up to as much as 180 meters, superyachts are the most expensive luxury yachts on the market. Manned by a full-time professional crew and with as many as six separate decks, they come equipped with a swimming pool, luxury guest cabins or suites with en suite bathrooms, several saloons and dining rooms, a cinema, gym, Jacuzzi and a sun deck. Some even have a pad to land the owner’s private helicopter. As the country with the most billionaires in the world, China has become a magnet for yacht manufacturers, foreign and domestic alike.
“They buy one, two, three, four, five houses, then they go to buy a private jet, then they go for a yacht,” said Nizar Tagi, general manager of the Asian operations of Italian luxury-yacht maker Benetti.
Headquartered in Viareggio in northern Tuscany, the company opened its Asian office in 2011. Of ...