'Shock' Phu Quoc tourism

Lax management, unsustainable development

On October 14, the People's Committee of Kien Giang province held a meeting with the Phu Quoc Tourism Investment and Development Association, along with accommodation and travel businesses and airlines, to discuss ways to "save" the tourism industry here from the slump. It is worth noting that since the end of 2022, when the People's Committee of Kien Giang province approved the project to restructure the tourism industry with the determination to strive to be in the group with the leading tourism development in the country and Phu Quoc to become an international-class tourism center, this is the third time the island's government has had to hold an urgent meeting to discuss ways to "shake up" the key economic sector.

Phu Quoc deserted on September 2nd holiday

Mr. Huynh Quang Hung, Chairman of Phu Quoc City People's Committee, could not hide his regret when the locality currently has nearly 30,000 accommodation rooms, 800 tourism service establishments serving diverse segments, about 70% of which are 4-star or higher; possessing enough "toys" to compete with world- class entertainment areas and resorts...; but since the beginning of 2023 until now, Phu Quoc tourism has encountered difficulties, the number of visitors has decreased significantly. Currently, flights and ships to Phu Quoc are empty, the number of visitors has decreased by about 40% compared to the same period. Local investors and businesses are facing difficulties but the locality has not found a fundamental solution.

Mr. Huynh Quang Hung pledged that the People's Committee of Phu Quoc City is ready to rectify sky-high service prices while the quality is not commensurate. At the same time, the social environment will also be guaranteed to be safe, civilized, and polite so that tourists can feel secure when coming to Phu Quoc.

However, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Trung Luong, former Deputy Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, said that rectifying the situation of haphazard and chaotic tourism is only a temporary solution. Phu Quoc needs to look deeply into the nature of the problem to find a "solution".

According to Mr. Luong, the root cause of Phu Quoc tourism's decline is unsustainable development, not following the planning. Also because of not following the planning, most of the current product systems only focus on luxury resorts, while "letting loose" the management of the mid-range and low-end segments, leading to a situation of snatching and chaos. Meanwhile, the landscape is broken, there is not much green space left.

More than 20 years ago, when working with experts from the World Tourism Organization to survey and develop a plan for Phu Quoc, Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Trung Luong noted that Phu Quoc needed ecological products, based on the resources of a completely different marine forest ecosystem. Phu Quoc has Rach Tram, has red star fruit trees that are the rarest in Southeast Asia, and has river and stream products that are wonderful landscapes that cannot be found anywhere else. However, the unique potentials were not developed while Phu Quoc was "let loose" for real estate businesses to "tear apart".

"It is true that Phu Quoc has successfully attracted large investors to form entertainment venues, including casino complexes, but due to the lack of real support policies, it has not been properly developed and is not attractive. The night-time economy has not yet exploited a system of distinct products, and has not reached its destination," commented Dr. Pham Trung Luong.

In addition, according to Mr. Luong, the quality of human resources on the pearl island is still too poor, not commensurate with its potential and development orientation. Since the early 2000s, Phu Quoc has planned to build a tourism training school but has not yet been able to do so. Currently, human resources are mainly brought from the mainland, local people are rarely recruited to work at tourism establishments... Therefore, the quality of human resources in these places depends on the strategy of each enterprise. Social awareness is not up to par, the lack of cooperation or excessive cooperation of people weakens the sustainability of the destination, greatly affecting the quality of the product.

Need comprehensive strategy from Government to local level

"To revive Phu Quoc tourism, it requires great political determination from the locality to carry out a comprehensive overhaul from planning, organization to implementation. Not only at the local level, but the Government must also get involved, review planning, supervise, direct, and organize implementation. The locality must have determination but must truly have a heart for the city, for the tourism industry, and must have resources to invest in rebuilding the image of Phu Quoc resort paradise," Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Trung Luong commented.

The world's best island needs a 'revolution' to regain its status as a resort paradise

Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, commented: The reason for the general growth reversal of the pearl island is not only due to short-term issues, timing, weather factors, and prices, but also core issues that have not been focused on solving, leading to the consequence of a decline in the source of visitors, especially high-end visitors.

Mr. Tuan analyzed: Phu Quoc has developed too rapidly in the past. The management and implementation of planning are not consistent with the orientation; the development is too comprehensive, with many functions, while the scale of this island is not large.

"We have set many requirements, from forming high-quality eco-tourism areas, to developing financial and commercial centers, then developing innovation centers, urban development... Taking on too much leads to losing the potential to create value for Phu Quoc, which has become famous. Especially the issue of environmental and social management, many shortcomings have been revealed. Social evils and security and order since the pandemic have become obstacles that make tourists hesitant," said Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan.

According to Mr. Tuan, the problem is not only the involvement of the Kien Giang provincial government and Phu Quoc city, but also the responsibility of ministries, branches, enterprises and people. All investments on the pearl island need to be cautious and focus on sustainable, long-term development instead of short-term goals, immediate goals and only looking at the goal of economic development. There needs to be a comprehensive solution for Phu Quoc, in which controlling the speed and quality of development is a vital factor.

"First, it is necessary to review and re-evaluate Phu Quoc's planning and have a direction to adjust and strictly control projects. Only prioritize the development of projects that comply with regulations, focus on high economic, social and environmental efficiency, and pay attention to conservation factors. In addition, it is necessary to solve social issues that are creating a bad image for Phu Quoc. If social evils and security and order are not controlled in time, Phu Quoc will be severely affected, falling behind not only international destinations but also domestic destinations. At the same time, invest in product development based on Phu Quoc's unique advantages, how to create unique and different tourism products. In addition, trade promotion activities also need to be implemented," Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan proposed.

In the current tourism trend, the primary concern is the environmental factor. Therefore, when the environmental issue has been raised for a long time but not resolved, combined with the arising social issues, it has led to a decrease in the number of visitors to Phu Quoc. The quality factor, destination management, and environmental management are the subjective factors that Phu Quoc needs to rectify.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan (Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research)

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/xoc-lai-du-lich-phu-quoc-18523102423433088.htm