Phu Quoc tourism 'craze'

This is a positive sign as Phu Quoc Island increasingly asserts its position on the tourism map, but it also highlights the need to quickly supplement the range of services to meet the diverse needs of tourists.

Phu Quoc: A hot destination for the April 30th holiday.

Information from airlines indicates that the number of passengers wanting to travel during the April 30th and May 1st holidays this year has increased by 10-15% compared to the same period last year. Due to the long holiday periods in April, many flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to popular tourist destinations like Nha Trang and Phu Quoc are already sold out for convenient dates and times. Currently, only early morning or late night flights remain, and ticket prices are increasing daily. It is predicted that Phu Quoc will once again experience a shortage of accommodations during the upcoming holiday, possibly even more so than last year.

For the past three years, Phu Quoc Island has consistently ranked among the top ideal and attractive destinations in Vietnam. Therefore, the fact that tours, tickets, and accommodations are fully booked in Phu Quoc is not difficult to understand. This is especially true since Phu Quoc emerged as a new tourism and entertainment "paradise" with a billion-dollar tourism ecosystem invested in by Sun Group in the southern part of the island.

Southern Phu Quoc attracts tourists with its tropical natural masterpieces, including world-class beaches like Bai Kem, unique and captivating experiences such as panoramic views of the An Thoi archipelago from above while riding the nearly 8km-long Hon Thom cable car, and luxurious stays in 5-star resorts with distinctive designs like JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay, Premier Residences Phu Quoc Emerald Bay condotel, or ultra-luxury resorts on the two-sided beachfront strip of Mui Ong Doi…

With the vision of transforming the southern part of the island into an international-class resort and entertainment center, Sun Group is continuously adding attractive new tourism products such as villas with stunning sea views at the picturesque Kem Beach, trendy commercial districts, and especially the Melodia Boutique Shophouses located within the Sun Premier Village Kem Beach Resort complex in Kem Beach. As tourists flock to the southern part of the island, the demand for services and accommodation is steadily increasing. This presents a golden opportunity to develop limitless business models.

With the increase in tourists, the service industry has become a "gold mine".

Anticipating strong tourism growth, the southern part of the island has been planned with modern, large-scale projects featuring many interconnected and complementary facilities. Alongside the ultra-luxury resorts, there will be a bustling and vibrant commercial and service business hub located at the heart of Bai Kem.

Investing in shophouse districts to cater to the spending, shopping, and entertainment needs of tourists is also a way for this island paradise to attract and retain visitors for longer periods. According to the Kien Giang Department of Tourism, the average length of stay for domestic tourists in the province is currently only 2 days, while for international tourists it is 2,8 days, despite consistently high growth rates of tens of percent. For example, in the first three months of this year, the number of visitors to Phu Quoc increased by 94,1%, with foreign visitors increasing by 50,5%. Meanwhile, the average length of stay for tourists in Phuket (Thailand) is 4-4,5 days.

According to experts, Phu Quoc has the full potential to become a famous island paradise like Bali or Phuket, etc. But to achieve that, the Pearl Island needs more diverse products and services instead of just being a resort. That's also why the Melodia Boutique Shophouse area attracted investors from the very first days of its launch, "quenching the thirst" for services in Phu Quoc. Many successful entrepreneurs in tourist destinations reveal that services are a "gold mine" if you know how to invest in the right place at the right time, and investing early is a big advantage.

In stark contrast to the fragmented and small-scale service businesses previously found in Phu Quoc, the Melodia Boutique Shophouse complex is designed as a large-scale 5-story shophouse block with at least two open facades, becoming a major shopping and entertainment center. It's an ideal location for businesses offering all kinds of tourism services, such as mini-hotels, restaurants, cafes, fashion shops, bars, and karaoke. Thus, with the emergence of this commercial area, the Bai Kem complex will become an integrated tourism, resort, and entertainment model, following global trends.

Experts also suggest that Vietnam needs more large-scale, concentrated tourism and entertainment complexes, instead of scattered, small-scale business models. This type of complex can attract and simultaneously meet the large and diverse needs of different tourist segments. By providing a "package deal" of tourists' needs within a single complex, this model attracts many visitors to experience enjoyable vacations, and they may even be willing to return multiple times.