U.S. luxury cruise ship Azamara Journey with 750 tourists and crewmembers on board arrived at Saigon Port on Monday to start a six-day exploration of Vietnam.
According to Saigontourist Travel Service Company, the local firm catering to the cruise ship, Azamara Journey will drop by the ports in HCMC, Danang and Halong so that its visitors can visit popular tourist sites in HCMC, My Tho, Danang, Hoi An, My Son relic, the former Hue Imperial Citadel, Halong and Hanoi.
Doan Thi Thanh Tra, marketing and public relations manager of Saigontourist Travel Service Company, reported strong growth in international arrivals on cruise ships handled by her enterprise this year.
Under an agreement with Malaysia’s Star Cruises alone, Saigontourist from October to March next year would serve 58 trips of the cruise ship SuperStar Gemini carrying more than 70,000 tourists and crewmembers. The ship mainly carries Chinese visitors on the scheduled routes Sanya-Danang, Sanya-Halong and Sanya-Halong-Danang.
Currently Saigontourist is serving visitors from international cruise lines such as Costa Crociere S.p.A, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Phoenix Cruises, Saga Shipping, Orion Expeditions Cruise and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. The firm has welcomed over 170,000 international visitors on cruise ships this year, jumping 10% year-on-year, Tra said.