Travel firms decry lack of port as more cruise ships arrive

Local tour operators serving foreign cruise ships have reported a strong rise in cruise passenger arrivals, but the lack of a capable terminal for such vessels will hinder the development of this tourism segment.

Saigontourist, Viet Excursions, and OSC Travel among others said they are happy with the steady increase in cruise ship arrivals this year, but only medium-sized cruise ships can make port calls in HCMC, while bigger ones have to dock at faraway cargo seaports.

Phan Xuan Anh, chairman of Viet Excursions, said his company was serving many ships in the first quarter of this year, such as Queen Elizabeth, Queen Marry 2, Arcadia and Artemis, with each of them carrying 1,500 to 2,500 guests.

“The good sign is many ships are making regular trips to the country. Our guests not only stay onboard such ships as usual, but many of them now choose to stay at high-end hotels. The business for this year is much better,” he said.

Saigontourist Travel Service Co. is also a strong player in catering to cruise ships. The company expects to serve nearly 20,000 cruise passengers in the first quarter of this year, up 5 percent year-on-year, but the growth would accelerate since this May, and may reach a three-year high rate of 20 percent for the whole year, the company said, said an executive of the company.

This year has also seen several cruise ships making their first trips to HCMC, like Princess Daphne, Pacific Venus, and Bremen, said Doan Thi Thanh Tra, marketing manager of Saigontourist.

“The number of port calls is higher and tourists’ stay longer than in the past. We will serve more guests in the coming months,” Tra said.

However, tour operators said the country still lacks special-use cruise passenger terminals and services to meet the higher demand of tourists.

Anh of Viet Excursions said big cruise ships like Queen Marry 2 cannot dock at Saigon Port in the center of HCMC as the low clearance of the Phu My Bridge blocks their passage. Therefore, the ship has to dock at Phu My Port in the neighboring province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Viet Excursions has to transport tourists from the port to HCMC by car.

Tra of Saigontourist said that some big ships had decided to go to the central city of Danang because the ships cannot drop anchor at ports in HCMC.

“It pushes up the cost. HCMC still lacks shopping and other services for the visitors,” Tra said.