National tourism body to rate tourist boats

The National Administration of Tourism will combine with the Ministry of Communications and Transport to rate the quality of tourist boats that offer accommodation services for tourists to stay overnight, on board, a tourism official said.
Nguyen Van Tuan, head of the national tourism authority, told the Daily that his agency would classify tourist boats in the same way hotels are classified from one- to five-star standards.
"The national tourism agency will recognize tourist boats from three-star standard and higher. The provincial government will recognize two-star boats and those of lower quality," he said.
He said the agency has mapped out criteria to classify these boats. However, his agency needs to work with the Ministry of Communications and Transport in activities to classify the boats because they are operating under rules of the ministry.
"We expect to finish the activity this year to help tourists to select quality boats with convenience and create a competitive environment for boat owners to improve services as well as methods and equipments to protect tourists," Tuan said.
According to him, the new rule of the agency will have an impact on such kinds of tourist boats in Halong Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh, as most tourist boats that accommodate tourists overnight are operating there.
The official estimated that around 460 tourist boats are operating on the bay, and some 100 of them are qualified for star rating.