Phu Quoc tourism 'shock'

"Still single" just because of plane tickets?

Half a month has passed since the end of the April 30th - May 1st holiday, yet leaders in Kien Giang province and Phu Quoc city are still disappointed with the province's tourism sector's poor performance. During the five-day holiday, the total number of tourists visiting the province decreased by 9.4% compared to the same period in 2022, with Phu Quoc city experiencing an 11.5% drop in visitors and tourism revenue falling by as much as 24.3%.

Not only the domestic market, but also the number of international tourists visiting Kien Giang is gradually decreasing. Flights connecting to Phu Quoc are currently only available from South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand; flights from India to Phu Quoc are temporarily suspended due to low passenger numbers; charter flights connecting Taiwan to Phu Quoc are also temporarily suspended (only 10 flights operated); and the flight connecting Hong Kong to Phu Quoc, scheduled for April 27th, did not proceed as planned.

In fact, even before the holiday, the People's Committee of Phu Quoc City had predicted that the number of tourists could decrease by up to 30%, mainly due to the significantly higher airfares to Phu Quoc compared to the same period last year. At a recent meeting on tourism development organized by the People's Committee of Phu Quoc City, Chairman Huynh Quang Hung once again affirmed that the main reason for Phu Quoc's "disappointment" during the April 30th - May 1st holiday was the excessively high airfares. In addition, the resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the upcoming end-of-year exams for students in various locations also contributed to the decline.

"Therefore, we hope that airlines will find solutions to bring airfares down to the most reasonable level so that travel companies can offer suitable package prices for tourists, in order to attract visitors back to Phu Quoc," Mr. Hung said.

According to observations from businesses, Mr. Nguyen Minh Man, Director of Communications, Marketing and Information Technology at TST Tourist, said that tours from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc are still numerous, but the number of tourists is no longer as high as before. Meanwhile, tours from Hanoi have seen a significant decrease.

Mr. Man also agreed that, considering only the recent holiday period, the high airfare was the main reason for the decline in the number of tourists visiting Phu Quoc. Specifically, tourists to Phu Quoc previously came mainly from three sources: charter flights from abroad bringing international tourists; tourists from the north flying directly from Hanoi to Phu Quoc; and tourists flying from Ho Chi Minh City. After the pandemic, although international flight routes have fully recovered, charter flights from Russia are no longer numerous, and the nature of charter flights from other countries has changed, clearly reflected in the decline in international tourists. At the same time, the cost of long-haul flights from Hanoi to Phu Quoc increased suddenly, causing a large number of tourists from the northern market to change their minds.

"Given this objective picture, the sharp decline in the total number of tourists visiting Phu Quoc is inevitable," said Mr. Nguyen Minh Man.

However, internally, issues such as price gouging, chaotic service pricing, environmental pollution, and social security are also problems that Mr. Man believes Phu Quoc needs to address soon if it wants to attract tourists back, especially international visitors.

From a tourism hub, Phu Quoc is now facing numerous problems that are causing a decline in tourist numbers.

"Complacency" is a sign of high-end products.

Notably, looking at the overall tourism figures nationwide, Phu Quoc - Kien Giang is one of the few localities that recorded a significant drop in visitor numbers during this holiday season. While Phu Quoc's leaders were anxiously monitoring airfares, Khanh Hoa also worried that rising airfare prices might cause the number of visitors to Nha Trang to reach only about 70% of the 2022 figure. However, at the end of the holiday, Khanh Hoa achieved a resounding success, attracting nearly 800,000 visitors, almost three times the number during the April 30th - May 1st holiday in 2022, despite the holiday being only one day longer. Da Nang, another locality facing significant pressure from high airfare prices, still recorded a visitor increase of over 26%.

Mr. Phan Dinh Hue, a tourism consultant for the Mekong Delta provinces, acknowledges the undeniable role of aviation in attracting and developing tourism in Phu Quoc. In terms of supply, Phu Quoc has many developing service types. 70% of hotels with 3 stars or more in the entire Mekong Delta region are concentrated in Phu Quoc. There are also many 4- and 5-star accommodations. In the tourism value chain, accommodation accounts for about 40-50% of tourist spending, but most hotels and resorts in Phu Quoc have room rates around 2 million VND/night, accounting for more than 50% of a tourist's daily spending.

This means that Phu Quoc tourism targets high-end tourists with substantial budgets, often those who travel by plane. Accommodation prices are already high, and the unexpected surge in airfare has made the island an prohibitively expensive destination. Phu Quoc tours have become unaffordable for many tourists during these difficult economic times. After the surge in travel demand following Covid-19, people now have more time to consider their options, and price significantly impacts their decisions.

However, after evaluating the entire process, Mr. Phan Dinh Hue noted that the tourism industry in Phu Quoc still has many shortcomings. The uncontrolled increase in airfare is a manifestation of the loose links between service providers in the tourism value chain, and the responsibility lies with the local authorities in terms of organization and coordination. In addition, recent negative images regarding prices, environment, and social security have caused the island to gradually lose its image as a safe destination, a paradise for relaxation, a place where you can just play without worrying about anything.

Instead of a gradual and balanced approach, the pressure of supply has overwhelmed Phu Quoc's planning with projects. Forests and the sea are what tourists truly need and what will attract them to Phu Quoc. The failure to maintain sound planning over the years is now costing Phu Quoc's tourism industry dearly.

Mr. Phan Dinh Hue, tourism consultant for the Mekong Delta provinces.

In particular, Phu Quoc's tourism destination development strategy is not yet effective. While Hoi An, despite expanding its diverse tourism products, always focuses on preserving its "essence"—the ancient town of Hoi An; and Da Nang strongly promotes MICE tourism through its accommodation system and events catering to this type of tourism… Phu Quoc has yet to build a unified themed destination or create a distinctive image for itself.

For many years, Phu Quoc's tourism image was associated with forests and seas, but in recent years, the local authorities have continuously granted permits for projects encroaching on forests and seas. Now, everywhere you go in Phu Quoc, you see concrete structures, no different from other cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Illegal and unauthorized constructions are rampant. The island is even considered an attractive place for real estate speculation.

The story of Phu Quoc also serves as a lesson for many other destinations if they do not learn from its experience and focus on sustainable development starting now.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/cu-soc-du-lich-phu-quoc-185230519203826078.htm