Cruise season

Leveraging its advantages of a comprehensive infrastructure and a specialized cruise port, Quang Ninh has become a popular destination for international tourists. The arrival of luxury cruise ships carrying thousands of international visitors in Ha Long Bay recently signals a favorable and successful cruise season.

Recently, Ha Long International Cruise Port simultaneously welcomed two international cruise ships carrying over 4,700 tourists to Ha Long City. These were the Noordam (Dutch flag), traveling from Hong Kong (China) to Singapore, bringing nearly 1,900 passengers to Ha Long, and the Celebrity Solstice (Malta flag), which docked with 2,806 tourists; the majority of whom came from Europe and America. Immediately after the ships docked, tourists had the opportunity to explore the beauty of Ha Long Bay and other famous landmarks such as Long Tien Pagoda, Quang Ninh Museum, Yen Tu National Special Historical Site (Uong Bi City), and Yen Duc village (Dong Trieu City).

Previously, the 5-star cruise ship Costa Serena also docked at Ha Long International Cruise Port, bringing nearly 2,500 tourists from China to Quang Ninh to visit and experience the heritage wonder of Ha Long Bay, explore city tours, and learn about local culture. Costa Serena is one of the largest cruise ships belonging to Costa Cruises (Italy), famous for its itineraries in Asia. Since September, this 5-star cruise ship has docked at Ha Long International Cruise Port several times.

Continuing to effectively tap into the Chinese tourist market, after many efforts to connect and promote tourism between Quang Ninh (Vietnam) and Guangxi (China), the cruise route between Ha Long (Vietnam) and Beihai (China) has been reopened. The luxury cruise ship Blue Dream Melody has visited Ha Long twice, bringing 1,500 Chinese tourists to Quang Ninh.

The Viking Orion cruise ship docked at Ha Long International Cruise Port, bringing the 3 millionth international visitor to Quang Ninh. — The Viking Orion cruise ship docked at Ha Long International Cruise Port, bringing the 3 millionth international visitor to Quang Ninh province.

Last October, Ha Long - Quang Ninh also marked a significant milestone by welcoming its 3 millionth international visitor in 2024, arriving by cruise ship. This was Ms. Tina Bogle, an American citizen, aboard the Viking Orion cruise ship on its Asian voyage. Along with the 3 millionth international visitor, the Viking Orion carried nearly 900 other tourists, mostly from the United States. The group visited Ha Long Bay, the Quang Ninh Museum, and several other tourist attractions in Quang Ninh province.

Welcoming 3 million international tourists in the first 10 months of 2024 is a record for Quang Ninh's tourism industry. This is a significant milestone for Quang Ninh's efforts to overcome difficulties and quickly recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the recent Typhoon No. 3.

To strongly attract tourists to destinations in the province, especially cruise ship tourists, Quang Ninh has implemented comprehensive and decisive solutions to promote tourism and services; launched 67 new tourism products, focusing on developing tourism products associated with the unique values of Quang Ninh tourism such as Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, and the Yen Tu National Special Historical Site; and developed and connected cruise lines to Ha Long. To date, 38 out of 67 new tourism products have been put into operation, and 29 products are being finalized and will be launched in the near future.

Thanks to the proactive implementation of solutions to attract tourists by Quang Ninh's tourism industry, the number of visitors to the province in general, and cruise tourism to Ha Long in particular, continues to flourish. According to the plan, during the 2024-2025 cruise season, there will be approximately over 60 cruise ships arriving in Ha Long with over 100,000 passengers, including many high-end cruise ships with large passenger numbers such as Costa Serena, Celebrity Solstice, Mein Schiff, Noordam… For example, the Celebrity Solstice is scheduled to return to Ha Long four more times in 2024, expected to bring tens of thousands more tourists to Quang Ninh province.

Quang Ninh aims to welcome 19 million tourists in 2024, including over 3.5 million international visitors. With positive signals from cruise tourism, along with intensified tourism promotion efforts at the end of the year, Quang Ninh is sure to achieve its tourism goals.

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