More international flights to Phu Quoc: opportunities, challenges

Sunset Town - a destination favoured by foreign tourists in Phu Quoc (Photo: thanhnien.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) – Some airlines of the Republic of Korea (RoK) are planning to open direct air routes to Vietnam’s Phu Quoc island dubbed as the Pearl Island in the southern province of Kien Giang, which is considered not only opportunities but also challenges for its tourism sector.

In late November, the Korean national flag carrier Korean Air will launch the Seoul-Phu Quoc route to meet increasing travel demand.

Other Seoul-Phu Quoc routes will be also put into operation by Jeju Air on October 29, and Jin Air on December 24.

Currently, international flights linked to Phu Quoc are from the RoK’s Incheon with the frequency of two a day, Hong Kong (China) with the frequency of three a week, Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur (three a week), and Thailand’s Bangkok (four a week), according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

According to experts, the last months of a year are the right time to open new flights to Phu Quoc, because the island is entering its most beautiful season of the year. The Booking.com recently ranked the Pearl Island in the top five "most romantic" fall destinations in Vietnam thanks to the ideal mild weather in fall and winter.

The department’s Director Bui Quoc Thai said that Kien Giang has implemented concerted measures to stimulate travel demand, including stepping up promotion activities and developing new tours to connect it with provinces and cities inside and outside Vietnam.

It has also intensified dissemination on the visa exemption policy for foreign tourists to the island city, added Thai.

Phu Quoc international airport (Photo: ACV)

The operation of international flights contributes to opening up opportunities for Phu Quoc to revive its tourism, but poses challenges in attracting tourists to re-visit the island, given the fact that it is reporting a significant decrease in the number of domestic tourists, according to insiders.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Lam Minh Thanh asked departments, sectors and localities to exert efforts to popularise the image of Phu Quoc; build programmes to attract tourists to come back to Phu Quoc; diversify and improve the quality of products and services.

The city should focus resources on addressing problems related to the environment and waste, he stated./.

VNA