The end of the year is the prime time to witness the stunning beauty of Phú Quốc’s natural landscape. VNA/VNS Photo

KIÊN GIANG — Over 30 high-speed ferries and 60 flights land in Phú Quốc daily, creating a delightful sight for the tourism industry: stepping outside to see endless lines of eager visitors.

The end of the year is the prime time to witness the stunning beauty of Phú Quốc’s natural landscape. However, the final months of 2024 have also marked historic milestones for the island city’s tourism industry.

Statistics show that more than 60 flights land at Phú Quốc Airport each day. At peak times, a plane touches down every five minutes. Among these, over 30 are international flights, bringing around 10,000 passengers daily—five times the figure from the same period last year.

Simultaneously, more than 30 high-speed ferries travel daily between the mainland and the island. To meet the surging demand, the city has extended the operational hours of ferries and boats to 10:00pm, compared to the previous cutoff of 2:00pm.

If each ferry carries approximately 100 passengers, the number of visitors arriving by sea is close to 3,000 per day. This does not include passengers arriving on large cruise ships, such as the 2,000 international visitors who docked at Dương Đông Port this past December. In total, across all modes of transport, daily arrivals to Phú Quốc during peak days can surpass 15,000.

The most obvious "sweet reward" of the skyrocketing visitor numbers is not only Phú Quốc’s consistent Top 2 or Top 3 ranking on domestic and international booking platforms during the Lunar New Year, but also the surging demand for services.

At billion-dollar ecosystems for entertainment and hospitality like Sunset Town or Bãi Kem, “operating at full capacity” has become the norm for most businesses and attractions over the past few months.

For instance, every morning on Bãi Kem Beach, “every square metre” is practically occupied by tourists, many of whom are international. Sunset Town itself is estimated to welcome nearly 15,000 visitors daily.

A similarly vibrant scene unfolds at Sun World Hòn Thơm, where daily visitor numbers are estimated at around 7,000. By 9pm each evening, all roads leading to the stage of the show Kiss of the Sea are jam-packed with thousands of tourists flocking to witness the performance.

Tourists explore Phú Quốc's night market. VNA/VNS Photo

For the past month, nearly all 40 accommodation facilities, ranging from 5-star resorts and hotels like JW Marriott Phú Quốc Emerald Bay, New World Phú Quốc Resort, Premier Residences Phú Quốc Emerald Bay, and La Festa Phú Quốc, to 3-4-star hotels and mini-hotels in Sunset Town and Bãi Kem, have reported an occupancy rate of over 90 per cent.

During the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the average occupancy rate for 5-star hotels in Phú Quốc is projected to reach 85 per cent, while 4-star hotels are nearly fully booked during the main holiday dates.

“The occupancy rate at our facility in December and January 2025 is consistently above 90 per cent, with some days reaching 100 per cent. This year, we’ve seen three to four times more guests than last year, with international visitors accounting for 70 per cent,” shared Vũ Cường, owner of Times Corner Hotel in Sunset Town. He also revealed plans to open a second lodging facility in the heart of the town this year.

The food and beverage (F&B) sector is equally thriving. According to Việt Hùng, manager of Cái Mâm Bistro in the bustling Vui Phết night market: “During the year-end season, the number of visitors to Sunset Town is two to three times higher than in the middle of the year. At our restaurant, we’ve been operating at full capacity almost every day. Sometimes, we even have to turn guests away because there’s no seating available.”

Hùng’s observations echo the sentiments of many business owners in Sunset Town. Nearly 50 F&B establishments in the area have been serving at over 80% capacity for the past few months.

Particularly, for “star” venues like the Sun Bavaria GastroPub, renowned for its unique dinner shows and prime vantage point for watching performances by world champion Jet Ski and flyboard athletes as well as stunning fireworks displays, nearly 1,000 reservations have already been made for New Year’s Eve.

In short, Phú Quốc’s tourism industry has experienced a “busy” 2024 - both in terms of the sheer number of visitors and the steady inflow of revenue.

By 2030, the number of visitors to Phú Quốc is expected to quadruple, which means that the demand for services will multiply exponentially. Therefore, experts suggest that now is the “golden moment” to invest in Pearl Island. — VNA/VNS