Thai visitors in Phu Quoc city (Photo: sggp.org.vn) Local streets, beaches, restaurants and entertainment zones were packed withtourists, both Vietnamese and foreigners, for Tet (Lunar New Year) festival.
The island hosted nearly 192,000 holiday-makers during Tet, including 51,929foreigners, up 4.6% year-on-year.
An array of tourism products has been on the offer such as “Kiss the star”show, Kiss Bridge and Fest Bazaar, attracting a huge crowd of visitors.
Truong Xuan Linh, a tour guide from Viet Phu travel company, said thatthe number of visitors to Phu Quoc increased dramatically in the runup to Tet,especially those from China, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand andthe US who spend their vacation at beach resorts along Khem and Sao beaches,and explore local culture.
The provincial Department of Tourism reported average room occupancy atfour- and five-star hotels was 60% during the Tet holiday which ran fromFebruary 8 to 14, while the rates event increased to a high of 90% in severallodging facilities.
Hotel booking volumes are expected to rise after Tet – the time when PhuQuoc has mild climate and calm waters.
Director of the provincial Centre for Investment, Trade and Tourism PromotionQuan Xuan Lua said that Phu Quoc welcomes more than 2,000 foreigners every day,much higher than the figure recorded in Quarter 3 of 2023.
There is a daily flight from Kazakhstan to Phu Quoc until March, while severalairlines of the Republic of Korea are operating or have reopened flights to thepearl island such as Korean Air, Jeju Air and Jin Air, she added.
Travel firms have attributed the bright spot in Phu Quoc tourism to localauthority’s resolve to crack down on price gouging and improve tourismservices.
According to Chairman of the People’s Committee of Phu Quoc city Huynh Quang Hung,apart from joining hands with enterprises and local residents to roll out heavytourism promotion programmes to popularise Phu Quoc as a friendly destinationamong visitors, the city's authority has kept a close watch on the business of restaurantsand service providers, and meted out punishment on any violations on priceovercharging.
With a view to adding lustre to Phu Quoc island, the local tourism sector willcontinue working to creating new offerings, carry out tourism stimulusprogrammes, and ask service providers to fully list their prices, arepresentative from the Department of Tourism said.
Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Luu Trung has orderedthe tourism sector to work closely with the Phu Quoc city People’s Committee tostudy the development of new tourism products, and enhance state management inthe industry.
Additionally, in a bid for the tourism sector to carve out breakthroughs in2024, he requested them to complete the project to branch out Phu Quoc cityinto a high-quality resort tourism centre and a national and international seatourism destination as approved by the Prime Minister./.
VNA
