The number of foreign tourists to Vietnam on sea ships has considerably increased. Many big and famous tourism ships in the world have arrived in Vietnam so far this year.
The country’s ports such as Ha Long, Chan May, Tien Sa, Phu My, Ho Chi Minh City sometimes welcome two ships on one day. The question is that if Vietnam’s tourism sector is able to create its impression to these tourists and mark its name on the map of world tourism as the sector has to take advantage of cargo ports to receive visitors?
On March 8 and 9, the Saigontourist Travel Service Co. received 3,250 tourists and sailors, mainly Italian, Spanish, British and German nationals. These came on sea ships namely Costa Classica and Costa Allegra which moored the Ho Chi Minh City-based Navi Oil port. By the end of February, Saigontourist welcome more than 20,000 tourists by sea, up 8 % against the two-month period of last year. Earlier on March 5 at the Saigon port, the Tan Hong Tourism Company and Viet Excursions received at the same time two ships namely Seabourn Pride and Nautica carrying over 1,000 foreign visitors. On March 3, the Athena luxury ship of Portugal carrying more than 800 tourists and crew moored at the Saigon port. This is the first ship of Classic International Cruises firm having arrived in Vietnam, paving the way for next trips to the Southeast Asian nation this year. However, the domestic tourism sector-shaking event is the presence of Queen Mary II cruise ship, one of the two world biggest cruise ships, at the PSA Phu My port in the southern province of Ba Ria Vung Tau February 2. The Tan Hong tourism company and Viet Excursions received and served 2,504 visitors from the ship. This is the first time Queen Mary II under the U.K. Cunard Line firm arrived in Vietnam on its trip stating from Thailand. The 84,000 ton ship is able to carry 2,620 people and 1,253-sailor crew. The ship whose length is equal to a combined length of four football grounds and three folds wider than Titanic ship, is built in 35 years.
Le Dinh Tuan, Viet Excursions chairman said that by early March 2010 the company had signed contracts for the following two years to welcome luxury and big tourism ships. Some tourists had ordered the company to find them six-door cars with hiring price of nearly US$2,000 per day to travel Ho Chi Minh City as they come. The presence of such ships shows Vietnam as an attractive and safe destination for foreign tourists.
However, Vietnam’s tourism sector now almost welcomes international tourists via cargo and commercial ports because the country has not yet had specialized tourism ports. For example, Tuan said, foreign ships arriving in Nha Trang city must anchor offshore and bring visitors to the coast on canoe because the city has not yet had the tourism port system. This way is time-consuming and unsafe. At the time when cargo ships are loading containers at the port, tourists can meet danger, Tuan said. Ensuring enough passenger cars to bring thousands of tourists at the same time is one problem for tourism authorities of localities like Nha Trang, Danang and Hue. Many tourism firms must mobilize cars of transport firms.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has targeted to welcome 1 million foreign tourists by sea in 2015. However, is the country’s tourism sector has not yet invested to build infrastructures particularly the system of tourism ports, the target is difficult to fulfill.
B.T
Vietnamese
