Vietnam has potential to attract cruise ship tourists, but the country is still unpopular with these affluent vacationers, an executive of a U.S. cruise line said.

The Southeast Asian country must introduce itself to the world as a new, attractive and beautiful destination for cruise ship travels, John Tercek, deputy chairman of the Royal Caribbean International (RCI), told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in an interview published Monday.

In mid-June, the RCI-operated Quantum of the Seas docked at the Tan Cang Cai Mep ODA seaport in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province for more than 2,000 tourists to explore the coastal locality and nearby Ho Chi Minh City.

Tercek said the Quantum of the Seas is the world’s second-largest cruise, capable of carrying 4,500 passengers and more than 1,500 crew members.

More than 2,000 passengers of the Quantum of the Seas have booked tours to Vung Tau, which proves that Vietnam is an attractive destination for cruise ship tourists, he said.

This has resulted in a decision by the RCI to pledge a US$5 million investment in upgrading the infrastructure of Chan May port in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, Tercek added.

The project is scheduled for completion later this month, so that the port can receive one of the company’s largest cruise ships, he added.

The deputy chairman expressed his hope that more seaports in Vietnam will receive the same upgrades so that more cruise vessels can visit the country in the future.

Tercek also said the ports in the northern city of Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City are not suitable for RCI cruise ships.

The potential ones include Phu Quoc in the southern province of Kien Giang, Phu My in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Nha Trang in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.

RCI will move on to upgrade Nha Trang port after Chan May, and the company is particularly interested in the Phu Quoc facility, Tercek said.

Once these seaports are upgraded to be able to dock RCI ships, which can carry thousands of passengers, Vietnam will become more attractive to cruise tourists, who come from many countries and have big incomes, the deputy chairman added.

RCI ships usually dock in Hong Kong, which Tercek said is a short distance away from Vietnam, from which the cruise ships can also travel to Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines.

Tercek asserted that the future of Vietnamese sea tourism should be serving passengers who visit the country on board big ships.

Besides upgrading seaport infrastructure, Vietnam should also boost its cruise tourism promotion, as many international tourists think of traveling to Brazil, Russia, Thailand and Singapore, while having little information about Vietnam, he said.

He suggested that Vietnam attend more cruise tourism exhibitions and events to show its potential to the world.

The Chan May upgrade deal was signed on June 18 between RCI and the port operator, Shipping Building Industry Corporation.

RCI will invest $5 million to enable Chan May to receive its giant cruise ships, which are more than 360m long and capable of carrying 4,000 to 5,000 passengers, according to the agreement.

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