Celebrity Millennium Cruise Ship brings foreign tourists to central Thua Thien-Hue province. (Photo: VNA)




Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has seen a
significant increase in the number of foreign tourists travelling to the
country by sea but poor infrastructure and a lack of high-quality services for cruise
tourism may hinder growth.



Vietnam welcomed nearly 285,000 sea
travellers last year, an increase of 67.7 percent from 2015. The increase left
airline travel behind, which posted growth of 31.7 percent in 2016, while
travel by land has been steadily declining in recent years.



According to Saigontourist CEO Vo Anh Tai,
the country has a great outlook for sea travel since it is blessed with a long
coastline and beautiful beaches.



However, there is no terminal exclusively
for cruise passengers in Vietnam; and in fact, they had to land at cargo
terminals, he said, adding that a lack of such basic services has caused many
international cruises to hesitate to sail to the country.



The World Tourism Organisation forecast strong
growth for Asian sea travel by 2020, enjoying revenue of 30-40 percent higher
than travel by air and by land, said Director General of the Vietnam National
Administration of Tourism Nguyen Van Tuan.



Though Vietnam has become a more appealing
destination for cruise holidaymakers over the past few years, the rise in the
visitor number is till below the country’s potential, Tuan noted.



To lure more travellers, the sector should
continue improving infrastructure, services and policies in the field.



Vietnam must build modern, convenient
passenger ports to serve large cruises while domestic tour operators need to enhance
their services as cruise travellers are often ready to spend a lot of money,
President of Vietnam Tourism Association Nguyen Huu Tho urged. New tourism
products, featuring unique local products, should also be introduced, he added.



Echoing’s Tho view, Tuan suggested the industry
design a wider range of tours and services for cruisers in places where they
land.-VNA