Da Nang’s cruise ship tourism industry has flourished over the first 2 months of 2016.
In particular, during the first few days after Tet, numerous cruise ships berthed at the Tien Sa Port, bringing thousands of passengers to the city. Up to 80% of those passengers then took tours arranged by local travel agencies.
Mr. Le Tat Thuong, from the city’s branch of Destination-Asia, reports that the number of international cruise ship passengers who have taken tours around Da Nang over the past 2 months has increased significantly compared with the same period last year.
Whilst touring the city, passengers have the opportunity to visit many popular tourist attractions, including the Linh Ung Pagoda, the Museum of Cham Sculpture, and the Marble Mountains Tourist Area. The Han and Con markets have also attracted many foreign visitors, and the harassment of tourists has thankfully been stopped at the 2 venues.
Many European visitors to the city have shown a keen interest in taking city tours by cyclo and have been very impressed with them. Mr and Mrs Frederick from the UK recently said that they had really enjoyed their cyclo tour along Bach Dang to admire the beautiful bridges crossing the Han River. They also said they would choose a cyclo tour again if they ever have the chance to return to the city in the future.
Over recent years, the city's branch of Saigontourist has launched numerous exciting tours for its cruise ship passengers. A total of around 15 cruise ships arranged by the company are set to berth at the Tien Sa Port each month during this year, and most of their passengers are likely to take tours around the city or to Hoi An.
Mr. Huynh Minh Hoang from the Cruise Ship Passenger Management Centre at the city’s branch of Saigontourist said that the reason for Da Nang’s popularity seems to be that the city has emerged as a young dynamic city with high-quality services and delicious food specialities. In addition, tours around the city are being offered to match the schedules and expectations of the passengers.
In an attempt to attract more cruise ship passengers to the city’s tours and increase their spending in the city, a focus will be on developing more special tourism products in the city, especially dedicated shopping centres and night entertainment areas.