The Malta-flagged luxury cruise Celebrity Solstice brought almost 2,700 European and US tourists to Ha Long city in northern Quang Ninh province on November 13, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

It is expected to return to Ha Long four more times by the end of this year.

Another luxury international cruise liner, the Marshall Islands-flagged Regatta, also arrived in the city this month with 600 passengers from Europe and the US aboard.

In the last two months of this year alone, as many as 16 major cruise liners have registered to dock at the Ha Long International Cruise Port.

Meanwhile, the number of registered port calls for next year has reached 60, bringing over 70,000 international visitors, mostly on well-known and prestigious vessels such as Mein Schiff 5 and 6, Celebrity Solstice, Noordam, MSC Splendida, and Westerdam.