Passengers 'shocked' by high airfares, Phu Quoc 'cries for help'

High airfares cause a decrease in tourists to Phu Quoc

Regarding the fact that many tourists "turned back" because of the sharp increase in airfare to Phu Quoc, on the afternoon of April 6, Ms. Quang Xuan Lua, Director of the Investment - Trade and Tourism Promotion Center of Kien Giang province, said that the unit had sent a document to the People's Committee of Kien Giang province asking for permission to chair a meeting to find solutions and airfare mechanisms to promote tourism development in Phu Quoc city.

According to the report, tourism activities in Phu Quoc City account for a high proportion of the tourism industry in Kien Giang province. Currently, it is the peak season but Phu Quoc tourism is facing many difficulties, the number of tourists (especially domestic tourists) to Phu Quoc tends to decrease. The main reason is that airfares to and from Phu Quoc are quite high compared to the same period in 2022 and compared to other localities. Even higher than the prices of many international flights in the region.

Therefore, to find solutions and air ticket mechanisms to promote tourism development in Phu Quoc City, the Center for Investment - Trade and Tourism Promotion proposed that the Standing Committee of Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee chair the meeting.

Passengers shocked by high airfares, Phu Quoc 'cries for help'

As Thanh Nien reported, since the beginning of 2023, many tourism businesses in Kien Giang province (especially Phu Quoc city) have been having headaches because the number of visitors to the pearl island has decreased sharply. The reason is determined to be that the airfare to and from this island is too high, even higher than package tours to neighboring countries such as Thailand, Singapore or Malaysia...

Mr. Bui Ang Van, General Manager of Kim Hoa Hotel, said that due to the high price of air tickets, many of his guests have "turned around" to go to Thailand. "Every year before the pandemic, at this time, I would accept interns and retrain staff to prepare for the peak holiday season. However, this year, the unit has not increased service prices and limited recruitment due to cost balancing," Mr. Van said.

Similarly, Mr. Truong Cong Tam, Chairman of Phu Quoc Professional Tour Guide Association, also compared that at this time last year, the association had to invite more tour guides from many other localities to support. However, currently, the association is only operating at 30% capacity and it is forecasted that by the time of the April 30 and May 1 holidays, there will still be no positive signs.

Sharing with Thanh Nien reporter, Mr. Le Trung Thuc, Director of External Relations of Sunset Sanato Hotel and Resort, commented that in early 2023, there were quite positive signs of recovery and development of the tourism industry. However, since the Lunar New Year, especially at the present time and the upcoming holidays, the room occupancy rate at Sunset Sanato has only reached about 30%.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/khach-giam-soc-do-gia-ve-may-bay-tang-cao-phu-quoc-keu-cuu-185230406152208308.htm