Phu Quoc (Kien Giang) has welcomed tens of thousands of tourists during the new-year holiday, thanks to the beautiful beach, warm sunny weather and restriction-free travel. It is also considered a safe destination for the pilot of international arrivals.

Increased booked tours, fully occupied resorts

The Lunar New Year holiday lasted for nine days. This is a great occasion for many Vietnamese tourists to travel and rest with their family and friends after a long period of staying at home because of Covid-19.

Among all destinations, Phu Quoc is the most attractive choice at this time. From January 29 to February 4, the island city welcomed 66,924 visitors. Phu Quoc International Airport from January 31 to February 6 welcomed a total of 368 flights.

According to the Kien Giang Department of Tourism, it is expected that within the nine days of Tet, Phu Quoc welcomed more than 80,000 visitors. The number of visitors is expected to be larger than some other tourist hotspots such as Lao Cai with 70,000 visitors and Da Nang with 44,000 visitors.

Sun World Hon Thom Nature Park Phu Quoc welcomed an unexpectedly increasing number of visitors during the Lunar New Year.

According to the survey, 4–5-star luxury resorts such as Fusion, Movenpick, Pullman, La Veranda, New World Phu Quoc, and Salinda were all fully booked during the Lunar New Year.

Nguyen Vu Khac Huy, Vice Chairman of Kien Giang Tourism Association, said that besides 4–5-star resorts with fully booked rooms, the 3-star segment experienced scarce room availability.

The 2nd and 6th days of the Lunar New Year were the most crowded. According to data from online booking platform Agoda, during the Lunar New Year, Phu Quoc is the most popular destination based on the number of bookings, followed by Da Lat, Nha Trang and Vung Tau.

Phu Quoc tourist area recorded a large number of tourists. A representative of Sun World Hon Thom Nature Park said that the number of tourists taking the cable car to Hon Thom for excursions increased by 4-5 times compared before Tet.

Vietravel was expected to serve 2,000 visitors to Phu Quoc, accounting for 40 per cent of the total number of visitors registered for the Lunar New Year tours; Vina Phu Quoc Tourism Co., Ltd. closed the tour on the 6th day of Tet. Specializing in experienced tours of Phu Quoc, Plan To Travel also welcomed more than 300 guests on island tours each day.

Choosing Phu Quoc for warm sunshine and diverse experiences

Tourists especially love Phu Quoc because it is now in the most beautiful season of the year, with beautiful beaches, rich marine and forest ecosystems. During the Lunar New Year, the weather in the pearl island is warm and full of sunshine, in contrast to the Central Sea, where there is cold rain, or cold and rainy weather in many places in the North.

Phu Quoc is one of the first five localities selected to pilot international arrivals, which also gives visitors peace of mind regarding Covid-19.

Nature beauty, warm weather, medical condition, and diversifying travel experiences are the pluses making tourists choose Phu Quoc for their holidays.

Huynh Quang Hung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Quoc City, said the city has covered 2 doses of vaccine for 100 per cent of the population over 18 years old, and they are focusing on injecting the 3rd dose according to the instructions of the health sector.

"At the moment, Phu Quoc has created herd immunity, and we are ready to welcome domestic and international visitors. Disease prevention and tourism and economic development are the two parallel tasks that Phu Quoc focuses on," he said.

In terms of disease safety, leaders of Phu Quoc said that they have checked and closely coordinated with many large accommodation and entertainment establishments such as Sun World and Vinpearl to train and ensure the preparation and service for tourists.

The health sector from the smallest levels, like communes and wards, is on duty 24/7 to handle all situations that may arise. In addition, the city propagates all people and tourists coming here to well implement 5K, which is recommended by the Ministry of Health.

"We ensure safe epidemic prevention while adapting to new conditions, to welcome a happy and healthy Lunar New Year," said Hung.

Phu Quoc also attracts visitors with its luxury resorts and world-class entertainment areas.

Hoang Trang, a tourist from Hanoi, said that she is spending three days on holiday with her family on a spring vacation in Phu Quoc. She chose this destination because it is warm and safe and there especially are many activities suitable for both adults and children, such as Sun World Hon Thom Nature Park entertainment complex with cable car, newly opened water park and adventure game area.

Families can enjoy food right at Hon Thom without commuting too far. It is even more rewarding because, after such a long period of the epidemic, Phu Quoc has had many new products opened, and the long holiday is an opportunity for her family to experience.

Moc Xa Thinh No, the first wooden roller coaster in Vietnam, attracts visitors to Hon Thom.

Right before the Lunar New Year holiday, Sun Group released a new ride for the first time in Viet Nam - a wooden roller coaster "Moc Xa Thinh No (Angry Wooden Snake)" at Sun World Hon Thom Nature Park, along with unique art shows and performances by international artists at Aquatopia water park and Mediterranean Town area.

Moreover, a world-class convention centre, Sun Signature Gallery, designed by world-renowned architect Bill Bensley, was also launched in the Mediterranean town. It is a great place for tourists to visit and get impressive photos.

Tran Thi Nguyen, Sales Director of Sun World, said that during the two years of the epidemic, Sun Group could not sit still. They took advantage of new investments, renewed, put new coats on, and carried out maintenance to be ready to explosively welcome visitors back.

"It all speaks to the highest level of readiness to welcome guests back, and at the same time, we join hands with the locality and destinations to create attractive and unmissable tourism products," Nguyen said.

The weather is favourable during all four seasons, and the most beautiful season is from October to April, blessed with warm sunshine, blue sea, and white sand.

During the last two years, investment in Phu Quoc tourism has increasingly bloomed with many unique, different, and attractive works created for all ages.

It is not difficult to understand why Phu Quoc can attract tourists. Many experts believe that from 2022 onward, Phu Quoc will be known as Asia's new Phuket.