How to tackle barriers facing Hue tourism industry

Cruise tourism season lasts from October and November to April the following year. Cruise tourism has recovered quickly and 2025 is the time to accelerate. For Hue city, the important thing is how to attract visitors to experience tourism products and services in the ancient capital city. Private Vietnam tour.



At the beginning of the cruise tourism season, the schedules for cruise lines to Vietnam in general and Hue in particular have shown signs of excitement. On October 17, on the way to Vietnam, the Ovation of the Seas ship carrying more than 4,000 passengers docked at Chan May port.

A representative of Saigon Travel Company said that from November to April next year is the peak season for welcoming international cruise ships. According to the plan, from November 9 to December 31, the company welcome 9 international cruise ships, with more than 25,000 tourists arriving at ports in Vietnam. The groups of tourists will visit many famous destinations such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Da Nang and Ha Long. It is expected that on December 11, the Spectrum of the Seas ship carrying 5,000 international tourists will arrive at Chan May port (Hue), visit Hue and destinations in Da Nang such as Hoi An ancient town, My Son sanctuary, Ba Na...

According to Chan May Port Company, by the end of 2025, there are plans to have 46 cruise ships docking at Chan May port, with nearly 93,000 passengers and nearly 40,000 crew members. The number of passengers and ships shows signs of increasing. The ships docking at Chan May port are large ships, so when there is a plan to receive cruise ships, the unit temporarily suspends related activities at the port to ensure safety.

According to experts, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cruise passengers has remained stable even during the low season. Therefore, cruise tourism has recovered rapidly since last year and 2025 is the time to accelerate, estimated to achieve strong growth compared to the same period last year.

Although the number of cruise ship passengers has increased again, attracting and retaining cruise ship passengers to visit and experience destinations in Hue has not been as expected. During some cruise ship arrivals at Chan May port, it is estimated that only about 30% of passengers went to tourist destinations in Hue, while the majority of tourists chose other destinations, especially Da Nang , Hoi An... This is a pity because these cruise ships arrive at Hue port but the city's tourist destinations cannot "retain" the passengers.

Looking at some cruise ships arriving at Chan May port in 2025, many passengers got off the ship and boarded buses which were waiting for them to be picked up and served by travel agencies. Although the tourism industry has organized many welcoming activities, the struggle to attract and "retain" this luxury customer stream is still a headache for the authorities and those interested.

According to the Tourism Promotion Information Center, the unit has now operated a Tourist Information and Support Center in the Chan May port area. This is a solution to enhance tourist support and promote Hue destinations. However, in reality, there are still barriers that make attracting tourists to experience tourism not as expected. One of the reasons is that cruise ships often come and go during the day, so the requirement is to have products and services that are close, convenient and attractive. Meanwhile, the distance from Chan May port to historical sites and tourist attractions in the core area of Hue city is quite far, taking a lot of travel time; tourism services near Chan May port are still lacking and monotonous, especially lacking attractive shopping, entertainment services, and high-class services for this luxury customer segment.

A travel agency said that the services on cruise ships are very diverse and classy, so there are a large number of customers who do not get off the ship. To bring this source of customers on board to experience, we must solve the problem of high-class, unique and interesting tourism products and services. In addition, we must connect early with cruise lines to promote, advertise and introduce products to tourists.

The Center believes that in the long term, it is necessary to call for investment in building large commercial, shopping and entertainment centers in the Chan May - Lang Co area - a factor that increases the competitiveness and attractiveness of the destination. In addition, it is possible to connect tours in the vicinity of Chan May - Lang Co, creating products and destinations close to the area where ships dock at Chan May port, convenient and saving travel time for tourists. Forming a chain of tourism products in the vicinity of Chan May - Lang Co, combining programs, art shows, Ao Dai dress...

The tourism industry, localities and travel agencies should also sit down together to research and create attractive "on-site" tourism products. One of the directions that many tourists love to experience after leaving the port to go to tourist destinations is to visit by cyclo, cycle to explore the countryside, experience local culture, learn to cook traditional Vietnamese dishes, etc.

The tourism industry and units can build services, cyclo tours within a radius of about 20km around Chan May port and experiences related to local community life, thereby "retaining" visitors to stay in Hue and attracting passengers on the ship to come down and experience.

The Department of Tourism leader said that the tourism industry and local authorities are also making efforts to connect and work with major shipping lines to promote and introduce Hue products and destinations, and convey attractive tourism information of the ancient capital for visitors to know and experience.

Source: Hue seeks breakthroughs as cruise tourism accelerates