Phu Quoc Island seeks new avenues for blossoming tourism

Phu Quoc Island seeks new avenues for blossoming tourism, Source: phuquoc.kiengiang.gov.vn

Just announced last week, Korean Air will start daily direct flights connecting Seoul to Phu Quoc in southern Vietnam from the end of November to meet the increasing travel demand of South Korean tourists to Vietnam’s largest island.

Phu Quoc now welcomes international tourists with its updated visa policy, which exempts foreigners from entry, exit, and transit visas for up to 45 days.

However, new entries into the Phu Quoc hospitality scene believe even more can be done.

“We would also like to see an increased number of countries on Vietnam’s visa exemption list so more international visitors can travel to the country hassle-free, as well as a longer work permit for expats. That will also contribute to the tourism demand within Vietnam as a whole,” said Bruno Cipriani, general manager of the new Wyndham Garden Grandworld Phu Quoc.

Pre-2020, Phu Quoc began to attract more and more visitors from both domestic and overseas markets, such as China, South Korea, Australia, Japan, and Russia.

Over the past 15 years more generally, the island has been transformed with tourism properties from Sun Group in the south and Vingroup in the north. With the Sun Tropical Village project, the first model tropical resort urban area in the billion-dollar ecosystem in the south of Phu Quoc, the group turned the pristine corner into a coastal Mediterranean style urban complex.

In the north of the island, Vingroup opened Phu Quoc United Center in 2021, which features an entertainment, resort, and shopping system operating 24/7. The company’s system of brands hotels and resorts, VinWonders theme parks, Grand World, Corona Casino, Vinpearl Golf course, and Vinpearl Safari attempt to offer an unprecedented experience in Vietnam.

There are about 30,000 rooms and 800 tourism businesses in operation, and the island is still an attractive venue for top luxury hotel and resort management groups such as Wyndham, JW Marriott, AccorHotels, and IHG, among others.

To date, Phu Quoc has attracted over 320 ventures in various sectors including tourism, services, and entertainment with total capital of up to $18 billion. Through preferential policies, the island continues to aim for a 2030 vision to become a destination full of high-class tourism resorts.

This year, Phu Quoc also received new recognition, and was honoured by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the world’s top islands in 2023 for the second consecutive year in a row.

However, officials admit that numbers have not been as hoped for this year, and a reinvigoration of the island’s offerings may be required.

During the national holiday at the start of September, visitors numbers fell by almost 40 per cent compared to 2022, with the room occupancy rate only reaching 27 per cent. Visitor numbers for the national holiday at the end of April also fell 11.5 per cent.

Last year, VietJet operated around 40 flights to Phu Quoc per day, a figure that has fallen to around 25 on an average day. As a result, the company saw its profits fall substantially in Q3 to its lowest figure in 10 years, excluding the pandemic years.

In mid-October, the People’s Committee of Kien Giang province held a meeting with the Phu Quoc Tourism Investment and Development Association as well as accommodation, travel, and airline businesses to discuss how to boost tourism for the island.

Huynh Quang Hung, Chairman of Phu Quoc People’s Committee, pledged to act when it comes to high service prices and boosting service quality. “At the same time, we must guarantee that the social environment is safe, civilised, and polite so that visitors can feel secure when coming to Phu Quoc,” he said.

Minh Ngo, General manager Wyndham Grand Phu Quoc Wyndham hotel managers receive ongoing training and support from the group to help hotels quickly integrate into the Wyndham family and understand the brand’s core values. My goal is, together with the Wyndham Grand Phu Quoc team, to make the resort the top choice for visitors, worthy of the title of the world’s largest Wyndham Grand resort in both scale and quality of service. Wyndham Grand Phu Quoc has its own advantages to become unique on the island. The large number of rooms, up to 1,399 rooms and villas, combines perfectly with a private beach, a large swimming pool, and the largest conference centre on the island with a capacity of up to 1,000 people, making it an ideal choice for business groups and similar events. High-end internal facilities with a casino, seven restaurants and bars, a theatre, and an adjacent golf course meet the diverse holiday requirements of travellers. For family’s leisure, the resort’s entertainment activities and proximity to theme parks, the semi-wild zoo, and sleepless Grand World City are must-see spots when coming to the north of Phu Quoc. Bruno Cipriani, General manager Wyndham Garden Grandworld Phu Quoc Competing with well-established 5-star hotel brands presents a formidable challenge. We considered a number of approaches to setting ourselves apart, ultimately settling on a concentration on providing our customers with memorable stays full of special touches and unusual extras. It will take a joint effort to increase tourism to Phu Quoc. To improve the island’s allure, I propose that its officials collaborate closely with its commercial and residential sectors. The local attractions could be advertised, special deals could be offered, and infrastructure might be upgraded to make the area more convenient for tourists. Building relationships with local tour operators and launching strategic advertising campaigns can also increase visitors to the area.

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