Vietnam becomes Asia’s fourth most visited cruise destination in 2018

Nearly 500 cruise ships will visit Vietnam this year, which reflects impressive growth

This increase has propelled Vietnam to become the fourth most-visited country in Asia by cruise ships. In terms of popularity, Chan May is the most visited port in Vietnam with 159 calls in 2018, followed by Phu My (139 calls), Cai Lan (111 calls), and Nha Trang (72 calls).

With its long coastlines, stunning beaches, and enchanting local culture, Vietnam is an attractive cruise destination with huge potential and drawing increasing interest from overseas cruise tourists who want to visit Vietnam by sea. Vietnam’s port infrastructure is developing rapidly to meet the growing demand for cruising to accommodate larger cruise ships, allowing more cruise lines to include Vietnamese ports in their itineraries.

Princess Cruises will bring in more than 80,000 international tourists to Vietnam this year, with six ships visiting Phu My, Nha Trang, Danang, and Cai Lan. The increasing demand for inbound cruise travel to Vietnam is set to contribute to the growth of the local economy through passenger spending on sight-seeing attractions, shopping, food, and the cruise lines’ re-stocking of ship provisions.

“The number of Vietnamese people who took a cruise in 2017 was 5,900. Cruisers from Vietnam comprise only 0.2 per cent of the four million people in Asia who took a cruise in 2017, which highlights the huge potential of the Vietnamese market. These numbers are expected to grow in the coming years as more and more Vietnamese go cruising due to the rise of the middle class,” said Farriek Tawfik, director of Southeast Asia for Princess Cruises.

According to Tawfik, the rapidly growing middle class and rising consumer wealth in Vietnam create increased demand for luxurious holidays overseas. Princess Cruises is well-positioned to meet increasing demand among Vietnamese passengers opting for luxury cruise travel to destinations such as Alaska/USA and Europe and the Mediterranean, as well for those opting to sail in Southeast Asia, staying closer to Vietnam.

Responding to this demand, Princess Cruises is launching its global portfolio of sailings for the new 2018/2019 itineraries to Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe/Mediterranean, Japan, as well as Southeast Asia, in Vietnam this week.

“We are seeing more Vietnamese travellers embarking on cruises and they are happy to fly to their departure point to reach their cruise destination quicker and spend more time exploring and relaxing before and after the cruise. Fly-Cruise packages are ideal for these travellers and we anticipate that they will become increasingly popular in the Vietnamese market,” said Tran Chuong Cuong, director of Golden Star Travel.

Sapphire Princess together with Diamond Princess owned and operated by Princess Cruises will be homeporting in Singapore in November 2018 until March 2019, offering a range of 3- to 13-day sailings around Southeast Asia. These cruises meet increasing demand among Vietnamese families as well as first-time cruisers opting for short-haul trips sailing out of Singapore to various ports in Southeast Asia.

Princess Cruises’ 17 ships sail to 360 destinations across the globe and offers luxurious accommodation, world-class dining and entertainment onboard that appeal to a growing number of Vietnamese people seeking a luxurious cruise experience that offers memories for a lifetime.