Sea Travelers to Vietnam Soar Six folds in 2008
The number of sea travelers to Vietnam in 2008 increased six times over the previous year, state media has said.
The Saigon Travel Service Company (Saigontourist) alone, the leading travel firm in Vietnam, welcomed 180,000 international arrivals last year, a year-on-year increase of 85 per cent.
Famous cruisers, such as SuperStar Virgo, SuperStar Libra, SuperStar Aquarius and Costa Allegra frequently docked at seaports in Ho Chi Minh City, Danang and Ha Long unloading a larger number of foreign tourists.
According to the Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VAT), 2008 was considered a banner year for cruise services though the country’s hospitality sector failed to fulfill the set target
In an effort to boost tourism in 2009, the country has developed a strategy to further promote its tourism potentials. Travel firms have also decreased tour prices to lure tourists.
Last year, Vietnam welcomed around 224,400 passengers, just 1 per cent more than in 2006.
Vietnam hopes to welcome between 700,000 and one million international cruise visitors annually by 2010. (VoV, VietNamNet)
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