Phu Quoc to become international resort centre

Phu Quoc, an attractive destination in Vietnam’s southwestern waters, is striving to become an international eco-tourism and resort centre.
Phu Quoc, an attractive destination in Vietnam’s southwestern waters,is striving to become an international eco-tourism and resort centre.

Vietnam’s largest island, dubbed the Pearl Island in thesouthern province of Kien Giang, attracts numerous tourism developmentprojects and thousands of holiday-makers due to its stunning landscapesand geographical features.

The efforts of local authoritiesand investors to support tourism development are certainly paying off:visitor numbers are at an all time high. Phu Quoc welcomed approximately600,000 tourists in 2014, an annual increase of nearly 40 percent, andthis year numbers are expected to exceed 850,000 visitors.

The island posted an 84.28 percent hike in tourism revenue last year,totalling over 2.2 trillion VND (104.8 million USD), according to thePeople’s Committee of Phu Quoc district.

However, despite itslarge number of tourists, the island has yet to attract large investors,General Director of the Sai Gon-Phu Quoc Resort, Phung Xuan Mai, said.He added that local tourism operators still neglect the quality ofservices amid the fast increase in visitors’ number, which prevent PhuQuoc from becoming a top destination in the region.

To remediate this, Vice Chairman of Phu Quoc district’s People’sCommittee said local authorities were working with schools andvocational training centres to boost the island’s human resources inorder to meet the increasing demand for highly skilled staff in thetourism sector.

The locality is also focusing on improving theenvironment by constructing concentrated waste treatment and collectionplants.

The Prime Minister recently approved a mechanism forthe building of entertainment complex with casino on Phu Quoc island,which is expected to help lure more visitors to the island.

Atpresent, Phu Quoc Island has more than 4,000 hotel rooms on offer,which can accommodate 7,000-8,000 guests. A number of hotel and resortconstruction projects are currently under way in an attempt to cater totourism demands and make the island an international tourism hub.-VNA

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