Phu Quy Island is under pressure from the rapidly increasing number of tourists.

According to leaders of Phu Quy district in Binh Thuan province, the island is facing some pressure due to the recent surge in tourist numbers.

A group of tourists visited Phu Quy Island to surf and then stopped by the floating fish farms to enjoy seafood. Photo: Viet Quoc

Speaking to VnExpress , Mr. Ngo Tan Luc, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Quy district, said that the number of visitors has recently "increased too rapidly," especially during holidays and weekends. During the recent April 30th holiday, nearly 10,000 visitors came to the island. In 2022, Phu Quy island welcomed over 95,000 visitors, a dramatic increase compared to the district's target of approximately 45,000 visitors by 2025.

According to Mr. Luc, Phu Quy currently basically meets tourism needs, capable of receiving about 2,500 visitors a day, but the current growth rate "is a difficult problem" for a small island district of only 16 square kilometers with about 29,000 inhabitants and scarce freshwater resources.

Mr. Luc observed that Phu Quy Island "lags behind many other localities" in tourism development, "lacks experience," and "is learning as it goes." "We still assess ourselves as not being truly professional, and our approach remains largely spontaneous," he said.

Phu Quy Island has nearly 60 operating accommodation establishments with a total of nearly 700 rooms, including nearly 20 hotels, over 30 guesthouses, and about 10 houses with rooms for rent. The district also has about 150 food and beverage establishments.

Waste is one of the problems the district is facing. During peak seasons, many tourists complain about littering all over the docks, coral diving spots, and pristine beaches. Phu Quy has invested in building a waste treatment plant with a capacity of 70 tons of waste per day, and organizes waste collection on the island (about 30 tons per day) as well as in the ocean.

"But the waste situation is still not meeting the local community's expectations," he said.

Phu Quy officials are currently prioritizing several solutions, including finalizing the district's master plan; proposing that the province implement a policy and plan to collect environmental sanitation fees from tourists upon arrival on the island; and implementing measures to preserve and protect freshwater resources on the island.

Phu Quy Island has also implemented programs to open training courses to prepare a skilled workforce for the island's tourism industry in the future.

"The district is calculating a balance between the number of visitors and the island's capacity, with a greater focus on high-end tourists," he said.

Viet Quoc

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/dao-phu-quy-ap-luc-voi-luong-khach-tang-nhanh-4609688.html