Cruise tourists talk to the driver of an electric car for hire in Danang City – PHOTO: NHAN TAM

DANANG – Tien Sa Port in the central coastal city of Danang has welcomed seven international cruise ships with 14,500 passengers on board on the occasion of the year-end period and the beginning of the new year, posting a 90% year-on-year upsurge.

The city will receive one cruise ship per day on average from today, December 24. In particular, a Westerdam ship is expected to dock at the port today with 2,000 guests on board, while a World Dream cruise ship will arrive at the city tomorrow, December 25, carrying 3,500 passengers. Further, other ships, such as Costa Fortuna, Europa, World Dream, Star Legend and Seabourn Ovation, will enter Danang City over the next few days.

The municipal Department of Tourism intends to hold a welcoming event for the first cruise ship entering the city in early 2019 at 8 a.m. on January 1. The first ship, identified as Seabourn Ovation, is expected to mainly transport European and American tourists to Danang City.

Nguyen Son Thuy, director of Indochina Unique Tourist Co., said that it is necessary to boost and invest in tourism promotion activities in the Asian, European and American markets to properly develop the cruise tourism sector in Danang City and central Vietnam due to their enormous potential.

“Our company is in the process of fostering promotion activities in some cruise markets, starting from China and then expanding into Singapore, the Philippines and the United States in the years to come,” Thuy said, adding that significant investment in in-depth cruise tourism promotions will ensure a long-lasting partnership and the high frequency of ship arrivals.

Danang City and other provinces and cities in central Vietnam have become attractive tourist destinations in the country owing to their emerging sea-related tourism activities and cruise tourism.

In recent years, many direct air routes linking many countries to Danang City have been opened to serve visitors. The number of tourists arriving by plane is on the rise, while the number of cruise travelers remains limited. The city is estimated to see a mere 100 trips by cruise ships per year.

“If the municipal government rapidly invests in port infrastructure and separates Tien Sa Port into a special-use one, the city will receive one international cruise ship each day,” Thuy said.

Besides this, a series of direct air services, such as Busan-Danang, Daegu-Danang, Osaka-Danang, Bangkok-Danang and Doha-Danang, which were launched at the end of this year, will also contribute to the growth of the number of international tourist arrivals in the city.