The five-star Costa Fortuna cruise ship arrived in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh on December 9, marking the opening of a marine tourism route linking the locality to Fujian province, China.

The five-star Costa Fortuna cruise ship

The 12-storey vessel, with 3,000 tourists on board, was en route from Fujian’s Xiamen port city to Quang Ninh to sail around Ha Long Bay, before leaving for the central city of Da Nang.

The trip was organised by Chinese tour operator Orangeways, which has strength in hosting Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition (MICE) tours in Europe and Asia. This is the first time the company has run a tour in Vietnam, supported by its local partners – Inter Cruises Vietnam and Ha Long Cruises.

In May 2017, Quang Ninh and Fujian signed a cooperation pact, which stressed potential for engagements in sea and air tourism.-VNA