On Nov. 27 Ha Long International Passenger Port welcomed its first international cruise, the Celebrity Millennium, carrying around 2,000 passengers and nearly 1,000 crew members.
The Celebrity Millennium, a five-star cruise from the US’ Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, first departed from Hong Kong. Coming to Quang Ninh, passengers on the board visited Halong Bay and other tourism attractions in Ha Long city before leaving for other destinations in Vietnam.
Welcoming the first passenger docking at the Port, Quang Ninh’s Chairman Nguyen Duc Long said the Port is set to create the best facilities for cruises travelling to Ha Long Bay World Natural Heritage site and will ensure full safety for passengers. It is one of the highlights of Quang Ninh tourism, marking an important milstone briging the province new opportunities for international cooperation in tourism and economic development.
The Chairman affirmed that he will continue to request the relevant provincial departments and sectors to provide the best conditions to the cruise lines bringing tourists to Ha Long Bay. He hoped that Quang Ninh would receive more international cruises and tourists to Ha Long in particular and Quang Ninh in general.
The Celebrity Millennium’s Captain Nikolas Christodoulakis, in turns, said this is his second visit to Ha Long Bay by cruise ship following his first trip 4 years ago. He then emphasized that, Ha Long International Passenger Port will surely help to allure more visitors to visit Ha Long Bay.
The construction of the port began in November 2017 with a total cost of VND 1.1 trillion (USD 47.3 million) under the private-public partnership investment form.
It was designed to have a 524m quay to receive two 225,000 GT cruise ships at the same time, with a total capacity of 8,460 passengers and crew members.
As scheduled, there will be around 10 international cruises docking at the Ha Long International Passenger Port in the remaining months of 2018. Quang Ninh is expected to see a sharp growth in the number of tourists, espeacially international arrivals.
Arrticle by Do Phuong
