Princess Cruises will boost its guest capacity in Vietnam by over 40 per cent in 2018 from 2017 as demand for Vietnam sailings grows.
In 2017, Princess Cruises carried over 58,000 guests on 22 sailings to Vietnamese ports such as Phu My, Nha Trang, Da Nang and Cai Lan.
This year, Princess Cruises’ six ships – Majestic Princess, Sapphire Princess, Diamond Princess, Golden Princess, Sun Princess and Coral Princess – will be deployed for 31 voyages, bringing over 80,000 guests to Vietnam throughout the year.
“Vietnam has become an increasingly popular destination for our guests from the US, Australia, and Europe as well as Asian countries, and cruising is one of the best ways to explore this part of the world. In response to this demand, we have significantly expanded our itineraries to offer passengers a choice of sailings and exciting itinerary options,” said Farriek Tawfik, director of South-east Asia, Princess Cruises.
According to CLIA, Vietnam received more than 400 ship calls across all its ports, the sixth largest number for Asian countries.
Figures from CLIA further show that cruise demand from Vietnam has increased by 126 per cent from 2012 to 2016, the largest increase in any Asian country. In 2012, there were only 158 Vietnamese cruise passengers, and in 2016 this number increased to over 4,100, demonstrating the huge potential of Vietnam as a source market for cruise travel.
Since 2014, the cruise line has been offering South-east Asia voyages that homeport in Singapore.
