A group of entrepreneurs from Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will be coming to Vietnam for a survey trip next week to help develop cruise tourism.
They are scheduled to visit ports in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, HCMC, Nha Trang and Con Dao from Sunday through Friday, a local official said on Thursday.
The group representing STB, Royal Caribbean International, and KOP Group will inspect the Interflow Port in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Navi Oil and Lotus ports in HCMC, and others in Nha Trang and Con Dao, the source said.
“The participants will suggest suitable locations to build ports for cruise ships along with measures to develop products, spur investment and other activities to boost the segment in the future,†said Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Head of the Travel Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
This is the second survey trip by Singaporean tourism experts to the country. Last year, Danang’s Tien Sa port was selected as the best location for the cruise port in the region after the group toured the sea ports in Danang, Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue in the Central region. BR>
Tuan said the two sides continued their cooperation after the first trip with the signing of a deal between Vietnam’s Danang Port One-Member Limited Company and Singapore Cruise Center Pte Ltd.
The two partners inked a memorandum of understanding in March to jointly develop a modern tourist wharf to harbor big cruise ships and serve high-end travelers. A joint venture will be set up to build the wharf at Danang’s Tien Sa port.
“We hope that the second group with participation from the cruise line and investment companies will not only help us find the way to develop cruise tourism but also invest in the industry,†Tuan said.
Vietnam’s tourism has requested support from Singapore as the region’s cruise hub at a meeting of the Vietnam-Singapore Tourism Cooperation Joint Committee held in the ancient town of Hoi An in 2008.
The survey results will be reported in the Committee’s meeting in September. International visitors arriving in Vietnam by sea accounts for only 5-6% of the total number of foreign visitors to Vietnam in 1997-2008, but the number is declining. Large international cruise ships bound for Vietnam must anchor at cargo ports.