According to Vietnamese tourism experts, international visitors arriving by sea have two advantages that the tourism industry of all countries needs: money and time.
"I like the way Vietnamese people bow before the grave of Hero Vo Thi Sau," said tourist Sébastien during his first visit to Con Dao. He teaches history in France so he really likes destinations like the museum and Con Dao prison.
Sébastien's group then arrived at Nha Rong Port, starting a tour of Ho Chi Minh City with additional activities such as visiting the flower market and Ho Thi Ky food street. "The tour of Ho Chi Minh City was wonderful," said Juliette, another French tourist.
Sébastien and Juliette were two of 200 international guests who arrived in Vietnam on the 5-star super yacht Le Jacques Cartier of the French shipping company Ponant in February. The group's itinerary lasted 7 days and 6 nights in Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Ho Chi Minh City, Cai Be (Tien Giang) and Cu Chi.
According to data from the National Tourism Administration, in the first 7 months of the year, Vietnam welcomed 8.4 million visitors by air and 163,000 visitors by sea. The number of visitors arriving by ship increased 3 times compared to the same period in 2023 and nearly 10% more than 2019 - the golden year of Vietnamese tourism.
Pham Ha, CEO of Lux Group, a unit specializing in providing high-end tourism services in Vietnam, said that the group of tourists arriving by sea is not the golden goose for Vietnamese tourism. This group of tourists has the disadvantage of rarely staying overnight at the destination, but only coming and going during the day. Most of their entertainment activities take place on the ship. However, they possess two advantages that any country's tourism industry desires: a lot of money and a lot of time. Therefore, Vietnam needs to find ways to attract more cruise tourists as well as retain them.
"This is a good group of customers," Mr. Pham Ha commented when talking about international visitors to Vietnam on cruise ships, adding that the cruise season usually starts from October to April, coinciding with the peak international tourist season in Vietnam. Visitors arriving by cruise ship have the following advantages: they are crowded, spend a lot of money, and like to shop, visit, and experience local culture and cuisine.
In addition, most of the guests arriving by cruise ship are middle-aged or older with a middle-class lifestyle. Many of them are retired, have savings and pensions. According to Vivu Journeys Vietnam, a company under TMG Group, responsible for guiding tours for visitors in Vietnam, an 8-12 day cruise on the Le Jacques Cartier cruise ship costs from 150 to 640 million VND.
According to Lux Group CEO's estimate, the daily spending of each cruise guest when arriving in Vietnam is about 100-200 USD, not staying overnight because they sleep on the ship. Meanwhile, the average spending of international visitors in Vietnam including hotel rental is about 132 USD per day, according to statistics from the National Tourism Administration in 2019.
Vivu Journeys' Southern Tour Operations Manager Truong Ngoc Hung said that the number of visitors arriving by sea in the first 7 months of the year increased 3 times compared to the same period last year, which was "beyond expectations".
The large number shows that Vietnam has attracted the attention of international tourists again as well as cruise lines have resumed operations as strongly as and even more than before the pandemic. This also shows the great potential of Vietnam to become an attractive destination for international cruise tourists. In the first 7 months of the year, Vivu Journeys also welcomed two Ponnat ships to Vietnam with a total stay of more than 20 days.
Sharing the same opinion with CEO Ha, Mr. Hung pointed out that spending a lot and coming in large numbers brings a lot of profit to local operators, and multinational sea travelers have the ability to help promote Vietnamese tourism to more international friends.
Vietnam has a prime location with a long coastline and many ports, which is favorable for developing sea tourism and attracting international ships to visit. The rich culture and history in the localities provide tourists with many different tour models to experience. Roads leading to historical sites have been upgraded, and new means of transport have been invested in by transport companies. Many restaurants and hotels have been renovated and newly built after the pandemic. Cuisine is also a plus point for Vietnam in attracting international visitors. Each region has its own specialties, so visitors will not get bored.
The policy of easing visas and granting e-visas to citizens of all countries and territories, along with assistance with quick administrative procedures from customs, border guards, and port authorities, has also contributed significantly to the development of tourism on Vietnam's sea routes, according to Mr. Hung.
However, the number of visitors to Vietnam by ship still accounts for a small proportion compared to the number of visitors by air, about 5%. This is still a modest number compared to Singapore's two million sea arrivals in 2023.
According to Mr. Ha, Vietnam needs to improve its seaport infrastructure. Vietnam has many ports, but currently most of them are dual-use ports (serving both cargo and passenger ships), leading to less convenient and luxurious facilities. In addition to the port in Ha Long where large ships can dock, at other seaports, ships still have to anchor far away and then use small boats to bring international passengers ashore. This leads to many inconveniences for international passengers who always want speed, convenience, and modernity.
In addition, Vietnam also needs to create more incentives and attractive tourism products for sea tourists. Many other countries in Asia this year have also started to target this group of tourists by launching many stimulus programs. In mid-July, the Japan Tourism Board and the Taiwan Tourism Bureau suggested that tourists experience the new tourism product Fly & Cruise. Tourists fly to Taiwan for sightseeing and then leave Keelung on a cruise to dock at Okinawa, Japan. no visa required
Earlier in May, China's National Immigration Administration (CNI) said visa free entry up to 15 days for international visitors arriving by cruise ship in 13 cities such as Tianjin, Shanghai, Dalian, Lianyungang, Wenzhou, Qingdao. Visitors arriving by cruise ship can visit Beijing or other coastal provinces. Meanwhile, in Singapore, from December, international visitors leaving by sea only need to scan their irises and faces, without having to present their passports. Reducing immigration procedures is one of the country's strategies to attract international visitors.
"Vietnam still has a lot of room to attract sea tourists," said CEO Pham Ha.
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