The long-standing consumer boating magazine will relaunch with a May/June issue

Long-standing consumer boating magazine, Asia-Pacific Boating, is to resume publication under a licence agreement from the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) group, the title’s owners. The agreement will also embrace AsiaSpa magazine, a title that was also previously run by SPH alongside Asia-Pacific Boating. Both titles were stopped in late 2019 after SPH decided to cease publication.

The publishers of the titles are Hong Kong-based Two2 Co Ltd, with business partners Grace Chien, who has over 10 years’ experience in boating media in Asia, and Loup Thomazo, an experienced Hong Kong-based French entrepreneur. The pair set up Two2 Co Ltd to obtain the publishing licences from SPH, forming a partnership with that will realise the full potential of the publications.

According to the partners: “By maintaining the highest quality of the print editions while developing their digital presence, Two2 will enable the two titles to remain the benchmark in their respective categories. For more than 40 years, Asia-Pacific Boating has been the leading name among luxury yachting publications in the region, with a reputation among Asian yacht owners and enthusiasts for timely reviews, news and features.”

The partners intend to restyle the magazines, stating: “Kicking off with the May/June 2020 issue, Asia-Pacific Boating and AsiaSpa will sport bold new looks, while continuing to provide the latest industry news, trends and features. The print magazines will be available for distribution in Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. They will also feature enhanced content and formats across digital and multimedia platforms to reach out to a wider audience.”

Two2 are also taking over as the organisers of the well-regarded Asia Boating Awards, which for many years have honoured leading brands and industry icons in Asia for their outstanding achievements. The awards take place alongside major boat shows in the region.

Asia-Pacific Boating was founded by Hong Kong journalist and boating enthusiast Bruce Maxwell in the 1980s. He developed the magazine as the main boating publication for the region before it passed through various ownerships to SPH.

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