The welcome ceremony for visitors on the Chinese-flagged cruise ship Zhao Shang Yi Dun which docked at Hạ Long International Cruise Port, Hạ Long City on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG NINH — Chinese-flagged cruise ship Zhao Shang Yi Dun docked at the Hạ Long International Cruise Port in the northeastern province of Quảng Ninh on Tuesday, bringing 721 visitors to the world-famous tourist destination.

This is the first cruise taking Chinese tourists to Hạ Long since China reopened borders and resumed international tourism activities earlier this year.

The visitors are scheduled to explore a number of tourist attractions in Hạ Long City, including the UNESCO-recognised World Natural Heritage Site - Hạ Long Bay, before leaving for the central city of Đà Nẵng and Hong Kong (China).

According to the provincial Department of Tourism, this event has great significance for the locality, showing a sign of recovery of the Chinese tourist market after the COVID-19 pandemic.

As scheduled, Zhao Shang Yi Dun ship plans to carry a total of over 12,000 visitors to Quảng Ninh by March 2024. There will be many cruise ships bringing Chinese tourists to Việt Nam through the Hạ Long International Cruise Port next year.

So far, nearly 60 cruise ships with over 70,000 travellers have registered to visit Hạ Long in 2024.

Quảng Ninh aims to turn tourism into a spearhead and sustainable economic sector and attract at least 25.5-26 million visitors, including about 8.6-9 million foreigners, by 2030.

It targets between 16 million and 17.5 million tourist arrivals by 2024 and 2025, including at least 3 million and 4.5 million international guests, respectively. — VNS