Vietnam Becomes Asia’s 4th Most Visited Cruise Destination

October 24, 2018
vi-lang Xem Tiếng Việt

Vietnam’s ports are anticipating a total of 493 visits by cruises ships from all cruise lines in 2018, an increase of over 20% compared with 2017 (407 cruise ship visits).

This increase has propelled Vietnam to become the fourth most visited country in Asia by cruise ships.  In terms of popularity, Chan May is the most visited port in Vietnam with 159 calls in 2018 followed by Phu My (139 calls), Cai Lan (111 calls) and Na Trang (72 calls).

With its long coastlines, stunning beaches and enchanting local culture, Vietnam is an attractive cruise destination with huge potential and increasing interest among overseas cruise tourists who want to visit Vietnam by sea. Vietnam’s port infrastructure is developing rapidly to meet the growing demand in cruising to accommodate larger cruise ships, allowing more cruise lines to include Vietnamese ports in their itineraries.

Princess Cruises will bring in more than 80,000 international tourists to Vietnam this year, with six ships visiting Phu My, Nha Trang, Da Nang and Cai Lan. The increasing demand for inbound cruise travel to Vietnam is set to contribute towards the growth of the local economy through passenger spending on sight-seeing attractions, shopping, food and the cruise lines’ re-stocking of ship provisions.

Rising Demand for Outbound Cruises among Vietnamese Travellers

Asia has become the world’s fastest growing cruise markets with more than four million Asian people taking a cruise holiday in 2017. In 2018, more than 4.26 million Asian passengers are expected to take a cruise.

This figure is particularly impressive given that previous research predicted that four million Asian cruisers will be achieved only by 2020.

“The number of Vietnamese who took a cruise in 2017 was 5,900. Cruisers from Vietnam comprise only 0.2 percent of the four million people in Asia who took a cruise in 2017 which highlights the huge potential within the Vietnamese market. These numbers are expected to grow in the coming years as more and more Vietnamese go cruising due to the rise of the middle class,” said Mr. Farriek Tawfik, Director Southeast Asia, Princess Cruises.

A World Bank report released earlier this year shows that the Vietnamese middle class has been expanding rapidly with 1.5 million people each year in recent years. This rapidly growing middle class and rising consumer wealth in Vietnam is creating increased demand for luxurious holidays overseas.

Princess Cruises is well-positioned to meet increasing demand among Vietnam passengers opting for luxury cruise travel to destinations such as Alaska/USA and Europe & Mediterranean as well for those opting for sailings in Southeast Asia which are closer to Vietnam said Mr. Tawfik.  In response to this demand, Princess Cruises is launching its global portfolio of sailings for the new 2018/2019 itineraries to Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe/Mediterranean, Japan as well as Southeast Asia, in Vietnam this week.

Princess Cruises’ 17 ships sail to 360 destinations across the globe and offers luxurious accommodation, world-class dining and entertainment onboard that appeal to a growing number of Vietnamese seeking an luxurious cruise experience that offers lifetime memories.

Trends in the Vietnamese cruise market in 2017 (*Source: Cruise Line International Association)

  • The average age of the Vietnamese cruiser was 42 years old, compared to the youngest average age of 37 years in India and the oldest average age of 57 years in Japan.
  • 32 percent of Vietnamese cruisers are aged from 20 to 39 years marking a rise in the number of millennials opting for cruises. About 38 percent are aged 40 to 59 years old, whilst 13 percent are aged less than 19 years old. This also shows an increase in multi-generational travel where the whole family from grandchildren to grandparents will go on a cruise.
  • On average, Vietnamese travellers took a cruise lasting for four days. About 64 percent of Vietnamese cruisers went on cruises that lasted 4 to 6 days and 26 percent opted for 3-day cruises. The remaining 8 percent chose 7 to 13-day cruises.
  • Nearly 80 percent of Vietnamese cruisers sailed within Asia.
  • For long haul cruises, the Caribbean was the most popular destination among Vietnamese cruisers followed by Alaska/USA and Europe/Mediterranean, which shows their increasing appetite to travel to bucket list destinations.

“We are seeing more Vietnamese travellers embarking on cruises and they’re happy to fly to their departure point to reach their cruise destination quicker and spend more time exploring and relaxing before and after the cruise. Fly-Cruise packages are ideal for these travellers and we anticipate they will become increasingly popular in the Vietnamese market,” said Mr. Tran Chuong Cuong, Director, Golden Star Travel.

Sapphire Princess together with Diamond Princess will be homeporting in Singapore in November 2018 until March 2019, offering a range of 3- to 13-day sailings around Southeast Asia. These cruises meet increasing demand among Vietnamese families as well as first-time cruisers opting for short-haul trips sailing out of Singapore to various ports in Southeast Asia. Princess Cruises encourages Vietnamese travellers to contact their travel agents to learn more about these special cruises when they plan their next holiday trip.