The eyes of the sailing world will be on Oman on Saturday as high-end luxury and multimillion-dollar racing yachts come together on the first day of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in Muscat.
The French firm famous for its signature monogrammed handbags, luggage and chic apparel is once again at the helm of the venerable competition, where the finals in Bermuda in June next year will mark the 35th running of the event that started in 1851 – just three years before the Louis Vuitton company was founded.
The firm, whose parent LMVH is world's biggest luxury group, is riding something of a wave itself despite the current global economic woes. This month the LVMH chief executive Bernard Arnault said Louis Vuitton's sales growth was "in double-digit terms" in 2015, bucking the industry trend of a slowdown. LVMH itself reported a profit from recurring operations of €6.6 billion (Dh26.7bn) on revenue of €35.7bn, beating the average estimate in a Reuters poll of profit of €6.5bn on sales of €35.51bn.
The World Series are a preliminary set of race regattas used as heats in the lead up to the finals and among contenders hoping to notch up early points will be the Emirates Team New Zealand boat. The airline confirmed its role as the team's primary sponsor in May, continuing a relationship that began more than a decade ago.
The Emirates Team New Zealand chief executive Grant Dalton said having the airline as its major backer carried significant advantages.
"We have made considerable progress because the Emirates Team New Zealand brand is an international leader, well recognised in the sport," he said.
"Emirates Airline has been with the team since 2004 and their decision to stay with us is important. We are fortunate to have such loyal and committed sponsors."
For Louis Vuitton, the Americas Cup has provided the occasional rough patch that even the most experienced skipper would find a challenge.
During the build up to the 2013 finals two accidents at sea, one of them fatal, cast a pall over the event.
But Louis Vuitton was rewarded for its persistence with the final itself. Millions of people around the globe tuned in to see Oracle Team USA, with the UK Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie on board as tactician, complete one of the most remarkable sporting comebacks of all time.
The event made headlines globally after his team just pipped Emirates Team New Zealand by 44 seconds in their winner-takes-all finale in San Francisco. The huge exposure was vindication of Louis Vuitton's decision to marry the glamorous worlds of luxury living and premiere yacht racing.
In Oman, the French firm will once again be in the spotlight as the cameras follow the on-sea action for sports fans globally.
The country itself will also benefit, something it is well aware of.
The driving force behind the nation's sailing activity has been Oman Sail, which was established in 2008 in part to raise Oman's profile as a high-end tourism destination.
"The America's Cup brand is incredibly powerful so this will be a monumental opportunity for us to showcase the Sultanate of Oman," said the Oman Sail chief executive David Graham.
chnelson@thenational.ae
