HANOI, Jan 15 — Singapore is working with other Asean countries to raise the region’s profile with holidaymakers who fancy going on a cruise.
In the past year, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has been working with the Vietnam National Administration for Tourism to develop and promote destinations in Vietnam for cruise passengers, said the board’s assistant chief executive for development Margaret Teo.
The board is also in discussions with Thailand’s tourism officials.
The Asia-Pacific has only 7 per cent of the world cruise market, so regional tourism agencies are keen to have a bigger slice of the pie.
Three years ago, Asean countries formed a cruise working group to market the region. The STB and its Vietnamese counterpart are taking this a step further.
On Tuesday, visiting Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Vietnamese counterpart discussed new areas of government-level cooperation to build up Vietnam’s capabilities in several areas, including tourism.
Yesterday, Lee and Singapore officials visited the popular Ha Long Bay, a Unesco World Heritage Site famous for its hundreds of limestone islets and caves.
It attracts about three million international tourists a year, mostly from neighbouring China.
The Singapore group also visited a floating fish farm.
Teo said Vietnam has the potential to attract more cruise tourists, given its 3,000km coastline dotted with heritage sites including the old trading port of Hoi An as well as picturesque beaches like the one at Nha Trang, south of Danang.
The STB has been sharing ideas with Vietnamese officials on tourism promotion and strategy, as well as how to develop the infrastructure for cruise tourism. — The Straits Times
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