According to the Department of Tourism of Quang Ninh – which houses the UNESCO world heritage site Ha Long Bay, as the sea tourism season unfolds this year, the northern coastal province has been continuously receiving high-end international cruise ships with thousands aboard.
Particularly noteworthy was the simultaneous New Year arrival in Ha Long of the Portuguese-flagged Vasco Da Gama carrying nearly 650 German tourists and the Celebrity Solstice of Maltese nationality with 3,000 visitors.
Meanwhile, the central coastal city of Da Nang, which hosted 22 ships with over 18,000 passengers onboard last year, has anticipated welcoming 45 liners with over 40,000 passengers for this year. Most recently, over 2,000 passengers on the Westerdam arrived at the local Tien Sa port to celebrate the New Year.
Travel agencies stressed that, Vietnam's extensive coastline, featuring destinations along vital maritime routes in Asia, positions the country ideally for connecting sea tourism routes regionally and globally.
There is a significant opportunity for Vietnam to become a hub for sea tourism in the future. However, attracting and retaining this type of travelers for an extended duration remains a challenging task for the country’s non-smoke industry.
In the long run, localities need to continue improving service quality, focusing on developing luxury tourism products, and implementing plans for supplementary training to ensure an adequate workforce, the agencies noted./.
