The number of tourist arrivals in Phu Quoc Island off Kien Giang
Province since early this year has been rising sharply, almost doubling
year-on-year.
This marks the first time the number of visitors to Phu Quoc has suddenly grown
after the year-end peak season, said Le Minh Hoang, director of the Department
of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Kien Giang Province.
Usually in the low season, Phu Quoc welcomed some 20,000 tourists each month,
but last month the number of tourists visiting the island was 38,000.
Hotels on Phu Quoc are often full. Currently, there are about 17 flights and
eight ships taking tourists to Phu Quoc every day.
“The new airport has connected Phu Quoc with many other localities. Traveling by
sea is also more convenient thanks to two additional passenger ships, and thus
the tourist number is surging significantly,” said Hoang.
In mid-December, Airports Corporation of Vietnam inaugurated Phu Quoc
International Airport in Duong To Commune after four years of construction. The
airport can receive long-range, wide-body aircraft like Boeing B777-300 and
Boeing B747-400.
It is estimated that Phu Quoc Airport will have a capacity of 2.65 million
passengers per year by 2020 and seven million passengers a year by 2030. Phu
Quoc has been connected with the country’s big tourist centers, such as HCMC and
Hanoi.
Hoang said the new airport encouraged many investors to accelerate their
projects on Phu Quoc Island.
Four hotel and resort projects have got off the ground since early this year.
The largest project covers an area of 250 hectares and consists of 1,000 rooms,
while the remaining three have a moderate scale. A number of projects are being
conceived.
There are now some 98 standard tourist accommodation facilities with more than
2,900 rooms on the island.
Last year, Phu Quoc welcomed around 400,000 visitors, an increase of 14% over
the preceding year. The island is usually most crowded during the summer..
|