World’s superyachts set up a Covid Club Med around Italy

The world’s rich are sailing the Mediterranean, enjoying a holiday haven on the sea to escape the crowds and the threat of Covid-19.

Eager to jump-start the lagging tourist economy and compete with Greece and Spain, Italy tops the megayacht leader board for a second consecutive month in August. There have been 228 superyachts pinging off Italy over the last five days, a 20-vessel jump from this time last year, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

Following are the US, which dropped 43 yachts from last year, and Greece, which saw a gain of 60 vessels. Montenegro, a surprise entrant to the leader board, came in 10th with 17 yachts. The Adriatic nation hopes to build its yacht presence as the wealthy look for alternatives in the area to favourites such as Croatia.

Europe dominated the latest Bloomberg resilience ranking for best places to be during the pandemic, with a middle-ground strategy of widespread immunisation and reopening based on vaccination status.

Celebrities such as Kendall Jenner, Paris Hilton, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union were seen basking in the sun aboard yachts anchored off the coast of Italy. 

The 511-foot Dilbar, reportedly owned by Alisher Usmanov, the 437-foot Al Mirqab, owned by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al Thani, and the 355-foot Le Grand Bleu, owned by Eugene Shvidler, are among the largest yachts spotted in Italy. 

Bloomberg News. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com