Middle class, high seas

Greece's Halkidiki is a celebrated port of call for yachters.

Yet budget yachting comes at a price. Less spending equals less opulence.

The center's cheap outing, for instance, carries 10 passengers for two-hour trips on a predetermined route.

Boats longer than 24 meters are indeed for the elite - and account for 2.5 percent of the market, Qian explains.

But 84 percent of yachts are under 12 meters and affordable to white-collar workers, he says.

An employee of Sanya, Hainan province-based charter-yacht business Youting.cc, who'd only give his surname, Zhang, says: "Most of our clients are middle-class."

The company runs nine yachts a day, he says. Sanya's natural conditions afford 300 seafaring days a year.

Youting entered the private-yachting sector two years ago and has received 30 guests so far this year.

The company offers three to five hours onboard from 3,000 yuan to tens of thousands of yuan.

Passengers can explore ashore, swim or enjoy deep-sea fishing. Snorkeling and scuba diving cost extra.