Ha Long cruise industry losses from typhoon Yagi worse than during Covid: insiders

A preliminary assessment by the Quang Ninh Province Department of Tourism found many tourism and service companies now "at risk of bankruptcy," directly jeopardizing thousands of jobs.

Pham Ha, CEO of Lux Group, which operates cruise tours in Ha Long, Lan Ha and Cat Ba, said many ship owners have lost everything and are left with debts but no assets.

"For the cruise industry, this loss is more devastating than during the Covid-19 pandemic."

According to a report by the local Department of Transport, 27 tourist boats and four cargo ships sank in the typhoon.

In neighboring Hai Phong City, 23 boats and ships were either damaged or sunk.

Ha said two if his company's ships Heritage Express and Speedboat, sank and were salvaged for repairs.

Tourist boats were sunk by typhoon Yagi at Tuan Chau International Port, Ha Long City, Quang Ninh, Sept. 8, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Two overnight cruise ships, Emperor Cruises Legacy Ha Long and Heritage Binh Chuan, suffered minor damage, he said.

Heritage Binh Chuan suffered minor collisions of its bow and stern but the main structure was unaffected, he said.

"The luckiest thing is that we did not suffer any human casualties."

Meanwhile, the waiting area on Tuan Chau Wharf has been repaired and is ready for use again.

Nguyen Tien Dat, CEO of AZA Travel company, said cruise operators, hotels and tourist attractions like Ha Long Park and Queen cable car in Quang Ninh were severely damaged.

Business have suffered estimated losses of several hundred million to tens of billions of dong (VND1 billion equals US$40,647), he said.

Quang Ninh Province was hit by the typhoon on Sept. 7 with winds of 149 kph.

Multimillion-dollar tourism complexes like the Quang Ninh Museum and Dolphin Palace suffered severe damage, with roofs being torn off and glass windows shattered.

Many hotels and resorts too reported broken glass besides damaged signboards and torn aluminum panels, forcing them to close temporarily for repairs.

But Quang Ninh has made swift progress in overcoming the aftermath.

Nearly 5,200 rooms at 39 hotels are now available for guests. In areas like Mong Cai, Hai Ha and Uong Bi, 100% of hotels have resumed operations.

But in Co To, this figure is 30%, and in Quan Lan and Minh Chau all are under repair and yet to reopen.

Ha expressed the hope that the cruise ship operators who suffered heavy losses would get financial support from both the local and central governments.

Tourism activities have already resumed in some places such as Hanoi and Ha Long.

Travel industry executives expect full resumption in the northern region by late September or early October.