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Cruise tourism shows promising signs
Cruise tourism will play a key role in the future of the Vietnamese tourism industry, according to Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy Head of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism.
The industry planned to welcome more than 1 million tourists arriving on cruises by 2015, he said.
The industry's target is reachable as it has seen many good signals since the beginning of this year.
On the second day of this year, Tien Sa Port in the central city of Da Nang welcomed 500 cruise tourists from the UK, the US, Japan and Germany.
Tourists from this party were deeply impressed by the city.
Nguyen Phuc Linh, deputy director of Da Nang's Culture, Sport and Tourism Department, reported that in the first quarter of this year, his province expected to receive 19 vessels carrying more than 11,600 tourists, an increase of 20.7 per cent over the same period last year.
Last week, Saigontourist, a well known tourism company in Viet Nam, received the UK's Voyages of Discovery and Spirit of Adventure.
These two vessels were carrying around 1,700 visitors who enjoyed a cruise down Viet Nam's coast, visiting Ha Long, Da Nang, Nha Trang and HCM City.
"These were the first vessels to visit Viet Nam this year but we will also be welcoming the Costa Classica for two weeks soon. This month, the company expects 6,000 cruise tourists, mostly from the EU," said Le Quang Thang, a senior official from Saigontourist.
These are promising signs for Vietnamese tourism as cruise tourists are often rich, and ready to spend money on good services.
Despite the fact that only a few companies in Viet Nam specialise in cruise services, they still organise tours professionally.
According to Cuong, the industry will further develop when domestic companies co-operate with foreign investors to upgrade ports' facilities and, recently, this has started to happen.
As a result, both Saigontourist and Tan Hong Tourism Company welcome tourists from ASEAN, the US and western Europe.
Meanwhile, six other companies in the northern province of Quang Ninh have struck deals to serve tourists from China.
In December last year, Saigontourist join the Asia Cruise Services Network (ACSN) with a view to boosting regional co-operation and development in this promising industry.
"The company has the chance to promote Viet Nam cruise tourism by joining the ACSN, so we can hopefully expect to welcome more visitors to the country in the future," said Vu Duy Vu, deputy director of Saigontourist.
The country had many beautiful bays and beaches, making it an ideal destination for cruises.
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