From February 16 to February 25, the bay is expected to welcome six high-end cruise ships, bringing visitors mainly from Europe and Hong Kong. A ceremony to greet the first international arrivals of the new year will be held on the first day of Tet.
The Adora Mediterranea will make three calls during the holiday, each carrying about 2,000 European passengers. The Seabourn Encore and Piano Land are scheduled to arrive on Tet Day with around 2,600 visitors. Le Jacques Cartier and Silver Nova will follow later with smaller groups.
The festive influx follows the year’s first cruise arrival, Celebrity Solstice, which brought more than 3,000 international visitors to the province earlier this year.
Quang Ninh has identified cruise tourism as a strategic growth area, rolling out short and flexible shore excursions such as Halong city tours, visits to museums and libraries, culinary experiences and cultural sites.
The province is also linking destinations including Tuan Chau and Van Don with five-star resorts to offer integrated travel packages.
Quang Ninh expects 70-90 cruise ships carrying 100,000-150,000 passengers this year and aims to attract about 22 million visitors overall, including 5.2 million foreign visitors, generating at least VND 65 trillion (about USD 2.6 billion) in tourism revenue.
