Luxury cruise travellers flock to Vietnam
The French cruise ship Le Soleal, with 200 passengers on board, set sail from Saigon port, HCM City, on February 6, finishing an eight-day voyage from Haiphong city to the southern hub.
It was among a series of ships carrying passengers to Vietnam in the beginning of 2014.
President of the Viet Excursions Co. Ltd. Phan Xuan Anh said the five-star liner from the French operator Compagnie du Ponant will return to the Saigon port on February 10 with more than 100 tourists.
Another luxury ship named L’Austral from the operator will also arrive in the country in 2015, he added.
Meanwhile, Le Dinh Tuan, a representative of the Tan Hong travel company, said the firm is planning to welcome an array of well-known luxury liners such as Seabourn Legend, AIDAura, SS Voyager, Nautica, Diamond Princess and Queen Elizabeth.
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According to the Saigontourist Travel Service Company (STS), from January 23 to February 15, it is set to welcome more than 52,000 passengers and crew on over 20 international liners.
Anh said such travellers demand high-class services. Tourists boarding Le Soleal asked for high-class cars to explore their destinations. They paid US$500 for use of a Mercedes, BMW or Audi for four hours.
Most tourists with families on the cruise spent heavily on luxury clothes, handbags, cosmetics and paintings.
STS Deputy General Director Vu Duy Vu said travel firms need to provide new and diverse products for cruise travellers. Particularly, they should offer tours to coastal examples of world heritage and cultural and historical traditions.
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism statistics show the country welcomed over 722,350 foreign arrivals in January, rising by 7.5% from December and 21% from the same period in 2013.