Singapore, Vietnam cooperate to develop cruise travel

      A delegation led by Deputy Head of the Singaporean Tourism Board, Margaret Teo has been studying tourist sites in three central coastal provinces of Vietnam: Thua Thien – Hue, Danang, and Quang Nam from July 7-10th, 2009.
The delegation, including members of the Singapore Cruise Center, businesses and big travel and real estate groups, have carried out surveys on Chan May Seaport (Thua Thien Hue), Tien Sa Seaport (Danang), famous destinations such as Hue, Hoi An, and My Son (Quang Nam) and will visit Nha Trang City (Khanh Hoa) as their last destination.
The delegation will work with localities in provinces to give its assessment and advises for Vietnam in building seaports and developing the tourism sector, promoting investment opportunities and exchanging cruiser tourists between the two countries.
In a meeting with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism on July 6th, Deputy Head Margaret Teo said: “With more than 3,200 kilometers of coastal lines, hundreds of beautiful beaches, and numerous seaports; Vietnam has many advantages to develop this tourism type and welcome high-end cruise ships. We do hope that we can study seaports and tourist sites in Vietnam carefully to discuss most effective investment plans.”
“At present, Singapore is a destination favored by Vietnamese tourists. Due to impact from the global economic downturn, the number of foreign tourists to Singapore decreased by 10 percent in the first six months of 2009 but the number of Vietnamese tourists increased by 15 percent,” said Deputy Head Margaret Teo.
Head of the VNAT Nguyen Van Tuan said: “Vietnam always attaches importance to developing cruiser travel. Over the past few years, Vietnam and Singapore cooperated in promoting this tourism type. We also hope that the cooperation will be continued and focused on exchanging information about tourism products, establishing more attractive cruiser tours, and improving infrastructure of seaports in Vietnam.”