Phu Quoc tourist numbers on the rise as locals flock to island

Phu Quoc tourist numbers on the rise as locals flock to island

Phu Quoc has many pristine beaches along 150km coastline. Photo: Trung Hieu

The number of tourists visiting Phu Quoc Island this year has exceeded 1.5 million mainly because of a sharp rise in the number of local visitors, according to the Kien Giang Province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The number of local tourists has nearly doubled from last year to 1.35 million.

But the number of foreign tourists to Vietnam’s largest island, at 164,000, is 20 percent below the target.

It hopes to attract more tourists next year when Kien Giang Province becomes the “national destination of the year.”

Besides domestic flights, Phu Quoc now has direct flights from Singapore and Cambodia.

China Southern Airlines plans to start a direct service from Guangzhou in January.

Located in a UNESCO-recognized World Biosphere Reserve off Vietnam’s southeastern coast, the island has seen a relentless rise in the number of tourists in the last several years from only 25,000 in 2000.

Phu Quoc hopes to attract up to 3 million visitors in 2020.

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