Renewing products to serve international cruise passengers

Besides the continuous good news about tourist groups from India, the Philippines..., at the end of the year, Ha Long is also the destination of other international tourist groups, especially cruise tourists, which are on the way to recovery.

According to experts, cruise tourism is recovering after the Covid-19 pandemic. The cruise market in Quang Ninh is also flourishing. Normally, cruise tourism to Ha Long starts from November of the previous year and lasts until April of the following year.

faf — Blue Dream Melody cruise ship brings guests back to Ha Long in the 2024 cruise season.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, tourists have tended to come to Ha Long according to existing cruise routes. The 2024 cruise tourism season started with positive signals right from the beginning of the year. That is the return of many luxury, familiar customers. Typically, cruise ships of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Azamara, Mein Schiff 5... brought thousands of American, Canadian, British, Australian... tourists to Ha Long from January to April. Notably, the luxury cruise ship that returned for the first time and stayed for a long time in Ha Long was The World (US nationality) cruise ship, bringing over 170 tourists who are millionaires and billionaires, mainly from the US and Europe, staying for 4 days in Ha Long.

According to the Department of Tourism, in 2024, Ha Long is expected to welcome about 60-70 cruise ships, carrying about 70,000 visitors, of which the end of 2024 is also the peak time to welcome visitors.

What the units are interested in is developing and renewing tourism products to attract, retain and increase tourists' spending. Authorities and localities have actively participated. "In addition to favorable conditions, Cam Pha City as well as other localities always pay attention and make efforts to innovate to create attraction. We are ready to cooperate with businesses and departments and branches to promote local tourism strengths" - Mr. Pham Van Kinh, Vice Chairman of Cam Pha City People's Committee shared.

faf — Cruise ship tourists visit Ha Long City.

Thanks to the attention of localities, many destinations, itineraries, and products have been invested in and renewed, and are attracting cruise ship passengers. Typically, Cam Pha City has itineraries to visit Bai Tu Long Bay - Ha Long Bay and vice versa, and to visit the Vung Duc cave route - Cam Pha coastal road...

Many localities, management agencies, and travel agencies are promoting the resumption of traditional tours, such as: Visiting the countryside and traditional craft villages in Quang Yen town; garden tours and ceramic craft villages in Dong Trieu town; tours to experience Khe Tien - Song Mooc village, exploring the anise and so forests, experiencing rammed earth houses, and Dao culture in Binh Lieu district... These are potential destinations for cruise ship passengers.

Previously, Quang Ninh also promoted investment, launched infrastructure, built new attractive tourist spots and tours, suitable for tourists in general and cruise passengers in particular, such as: Yoko Onsen Quang Hanh hot mineral bath area, entertainment spots at Sunworld, city tour by double-decker bus...

However, according to the assessment of the Department of Tourism and businesses, to attract cruise ship passengers, localities need to pay special attention to investing in infrastructure as well as maintaining the unique features of products and destinations.

For example: The Dao Village Destination, Thanh Y Dao Cultural Conservation Area in Bang Ca Commune (Ha Long City) needs to pay attention to the traffic system; preserve inherent values, collect and search for many artifacts so that visitors can fully explore the unique cultural features of the Dao people when coming here.

Thanh Y Dao village (Bang Ca commune, Ha Long city) attracts cruise ship passengers, but needs more investment in infrastructure.

With the Ha Long - Bai Tu Long route, Vung Duc port, although having a convenient transportation system and interesting activities organized in the cave, needs to urgently build synchronous auxiliary works such as parking lots, toilets as well as calculate the round trip by car to experience the coastal road Cam Pha - Ha Long to ensure time for tourists...

Only then can Quang Ninh truly create the attraction and plus points to attract more cruise tourists in the upcoming cruise tourism seasons. This not only creates a new feature and attraction for cruise tourists but also contributes to realizing the province's goal of welcoming 19 million visitors, including 3.5 million international visitors.

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