Quang Ninh: Promising a "bumper" cruise tourism season

Cruise tourism season usually starts in October and ends in April of the following year. To welcome the cruise tourism season and its return, units in the province have proactively developed many plans, strengthened connections, renewed tourism products, and ensured service quality...

Cruise ship passengers prepare to visit tourist attractions in Quang Ninh.

Since the beginning of the year, Quang Ninh has welcomed about 25 cruise ships, some of which have returned many times with more than 1,000 passengers. Notably, this summer, Quang Ninh has continuously welcomed international cruise ships. Ms. Tran Nguyen, Deputy General Director of Entertainment and Resorts, Sun Group Corporation, said: With the investment in modern port infrastructure and the ecosystem of Sun Group Corporation, the unit aims to welcome cruise tourists all year round. The unit continuously works with cruise partners, prioritizing the promotion and introduction of Ha Long International Passenger Port to cruise tourism developing countries such as the United States, Singapore, and China to make Quang Ninh a destination in their journey. Along with that, attending domestic and international tourism fairs, information about major cultural activities, festivals, and major events of the province to cruise lines so that they know and arrange routes and times to bring guests to Quang Ninh. The unit proactively coordinates with local authorities to promote and seek new partners through international conference programs and localities that have close relationships with Quang Ninh.

It is expected that from now until the end of 2025, Quang Ninh will welcome about 40 cruise ships, 6 of which will be in October alone. These are all luxury cruise ships that have been coming to Ha Long for many years, such as: Viking Orion, Silver Muse, Celebrity Solstice, Silver Whisper... This type of cruise ship is designed to be luxurious and modern, specializing in serving cruises in Asia and the South Pacific , and can depart from many different countries. In particular, many shipping lines return to Quang Ninh 4-6 times.

Depending on the schedule, cruise ship passengers will choose suitable tours, such as: Visiting the central wards of the former Ha Long City area, Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Museum, Sun World entertainment area, exploring local culture and history. In addition, with ships staying overnight, or with longer docking times, tourists tend to visit neighboring localities such as: Yen Duc village, exploring Yen Tu, experiencing ethnic culture in Ky Thuong, Dong Son.

With the ownership of the World Heritage of Ha Long Bay and Yen Tu, the units are building a tour connecting the two heritages, at the same time, introducing them to shipping lines to reach the maximum tourist market. According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Long, Deputy Director of Saigontourist Travel Services Company Limited in Quang Ninh, owning two heritages is a huge plus for Quang Ninh for international tourists. With only one destination, tourists can experience two heritages at the same time. The unit proactively builds tour schedules suitable to the needs of tourists, combining to exploit the maximum tourism products in these two heritages. The company also researches and builds a plan to exploit Bai Tu Long tours combined with unique tourism products of Van Don to bring tourists more new options.

Cruise ship tourists visit Quang Ninh Museum.

It can be seen that Quang Ninh owns a synchronous port system, many famous beautiful landscapes and landscapes; located on an important maritime traffic route of Asia, suitable for connecting cruise ship routes in the region and the world. The province has formed closed tourism chains that well meet the entertainment, shopping and recreation needs of cruise tourists. In particular, the government and businesses have proactively built and connected with shipping lines and localities with large seaports.

In November 2024, the Bac Hai - Ha Long cruise route was launched after a period of interruption. Most recently, Quang Ninh province welcomed large Japanese cruise ships. Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Hanh affirmed: The province is committed to creating the best conditions, at the same time building more attractive products, ensuring a safe and secure environment, thereby working with tourism and service units to promote Quang Ninh destination to the Japanese market, making Quang Ninh a regular destination for international cruise lines, including Japanese cruise ships.

Representatives of the organization managing and operating the Peace Boat cruise ship (Japan) highly appreciated the synchronous and complete transportation and tourism infrastructure of Quang Ninh province, along with diverse experiences, meeting all the needs of tourists. The active coordination of Quang Ninh province and related units in ensuring the conditions for welcoming the upcoming cruise ship from the port, entry procedures, and reception plans at destinations will create a good impression on tourists. This is a premise for the unit to promote connections, bringing more cruise ships from Japan to Ha Long, Quang Ninh in the near future.

Developing cruise tourism is one of the key orientations of the province, with the goal of developing Quang Ninh into a tourism center, connecting the region and the world, a cultural industrial center with high-class resorts, a synchronous and modern infrastructure system, diverse, unique, high-quality tourism products, strong brands and global appeal, and high competitiveness; linking with airlines, cruise ships, and leading international tourism corporations. This is a very big goal, demonstrating the important role of Quang Ninh in promoting international and regional connections, contributing to socio-economic development in general and tourism in particular.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/quang-ninh-hua-hen-mua-du-lich-tau-bien-boi-thu-20251013141215825.htm