Chan May port in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue expects to receive 49 cruise ships and 113,000 tourists in 2017. — Photo VNA

Chan May port in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue expects to receive 49 cruise ships and 113,000 tourists in 2017.

Last year, the port welcomed 36 ships with 87,000 visitors on board, an increase of 8,500 compared with 2015.

Chan May port is located between the two largest cities in the central region – Hue and Da Nang. The port also lies on the main sea route linking Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong (China) and Viet Nam.

It is among 46 seaports in Southeast Asia selected by the Asia Cruise Association as a stopover for cruise ships.

Following a recent upgrade of the wharf, the port can now accommodate 30,000 DWT vessels and cruise ships carrying 3,000-4,000 passengers each.

According to Nguyen Van Chuong, vice director general of Chan May Port JSC, to facilitate travel in the port area at night, a lighting system is being built on the route connecting the wharf with national highway 1A.

Cruise ship arrivals are likely to bring huge revenue to the local tourism sector; however, services for big-spending passengers remain limited.

Connected tours in the region and with neighbouring regions offer a potential solution to this issue. Recently, tourism departments of Hanoi, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang and Quang Nam signed a pact to develop the sector by providing linked tours and facilitating travel companies. — VNS