For exciting cruise tourism all year round

This summer, Quang Ninh tourism recorded a positive growth in international visitors since the pandemic. In particular, the continuous reception of international cruise ships gives Quang Ninh the opportunity to promote the development of cruise tourism all year round, making an important contribution to achieving the target of 3 million international visitors in 2024.

Blue Dream Melody cruise ship docked at Ha Long International Passenger Port for the first time.

Quang Ninh Province is considered by international cruise lines to be a destination with a great competitive advantage in the cruise tourism market share in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, thanks to its World Heritage - Natural Wonder of Ha Long Bay, unique experiences of culture, and local cuisine. In particular, Quang Ninh is currently the first and only locality in Vietnam to have Ha Long International Passenger Port - a specialized cruise port for tourism, which can receive many large-scale international cruise ships at the same time. Recently, the cruise ship Blue Dream Melody docked at Ha Long International Passenger Port carrying over 630 Chinese tourists. At the stopover in Ha Long City, most tourists choose tours that have become brands for international visitors, such as visiting Ha Long Bay, experiencing city tours, visiting famous tourist attractions of the city such as Quang Ninh Museum, Long Tien Pagoda, Ha Long Market, and exploring local cuisine and traditional culture. This is the first time the Blue Dream Melody has come to Ha Long, opening a route connecting Nansha (China) with Ha Long, and will continue to operate in the following summer months.

Cruise ship tourists are impressed with the friendliness and hospitality in Ha Long, Quang Ninh.

In mid-June, Ha Long also welcomed the luxury cruise ship The World, an American nationality, carrying over 170 tourists, who are millionaires and billionaires, mainly from the US and Europe. This is the first time The World has returned to Ha Long since the Covid-19 pandemic. With 4 days of anchorage at Ha Long International Passenger Port, this is also the cruise ship with the longest stay in Quang Ninh since the beginning of the year. Accumulated from the beginning of 2024 until now, Quang Ninh has welcomed about 50 cruise ships carrying 40,000 international tourists. It is expected that in the next 2 summer months, Quang Ninh will continue to welcome a number of more international cruise ships. The continuous reception of international cruise ships affirms the attractiveness of Quang Ninh tourism to this type of tourist. At the same time, it opens up opportunities to promote the development of cruise tourism even in the summer months, which is not the peak season for cruise tourists in Vietnam. According to Mr. Ly Dac Nam, General Director of Khang Huy Holiday Vietnam Co., Ltd. - a unit specializing in exploiting cruise ship tourists, said:   Cruise tourism usually peaks from September of the previous year to April of the following year. The fact that we can welcome not only one but many cruise ships during this summer season affirms the outstanding competitiveness of Ha Long in particular and Quang Ninh in general. Cruise tourism brings a large source of visitors to Quang Ninh. Each ship arriving at the port carries thousands of tourists from high-spending markets. A survey by the World Tourism Organization shows that cruise tourism has a revenue value 40% higher than tourism by air or road. To attract cruise tourists, units in the service supply chain from travel agencies, ports, services, restaurants, hotels, and transportation strengthen links to improve service quality, renew tourism products, and combine nature exploration with unique cultural experiences. Along with that, units also focus on ensuring human resources in both quality and quantity to meet the requirements of this high-end customer stream. Since the beginning of 2024, Quang Ninh province has proactively connected and worked with many major shipping lines to promote the development of cruise tourism. From there, many innovative policies have been introduced, creating favorable conditions for attracting visitors, while working with shipping lines to build attractive products that are suitable for the tastes of international seafarers with high spending, aiming to develop Ha Long into an international cruise tourism center, making Quang Ninh a tourism center connecting the region and the world.