Crowds flood in Sunset Town: Flights touch down every 5 minutes as Phu Quoc tourism booms

The end of the year is the prime time to witness the stunning natural beauty of Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island. The final months of 2024 have also marked historic milestones for the island’s tourism sector.

Statistics show that more than 60 flights land at Phu Quoc airport each day. At peak times, a plane touches down every five minutes. Among these, over 30 are international flights, bringing around 10,000 passengers daily - five times the figure in the same period last year.

Simultaneously, more than 30 high-speed ferries travel daily between the mainland and the island. To meet the surging demand, the city has extended the operational hours of ferries and boats to 10 p.m., compared to the previous cutoff of 2 p.m.

If each ferry carries approximately 100 passengers, the number of visitors arriving by sea is close to 3,000 per day. This does not include passengers arriving on large cruise ships, such as the 2,000 international visitors who docked at Duong Dong port in December. In total, across all modes of transport, daily arrivals to Phu Quoc during peak days can surpass 15,000.

The most obvious "sweet reward" of the skyrocketing visitor numbers is not only Phu Quoc’s consistent Top 2 or Top 3 ranking on domestic and international booking platforms during the Lunar New Year, but also the surging demand for services.

At billion-dollar ecosystems for entertainment and hospitality like Sunset Town or Bai Kem, “operating at full capacity”, has become the norm for most businesses and attractions over the past few months.

For instance, every morning on Bai Kem Beach, “every square meter” is practically occupied by tourists, many of whom are international. Sunset Town itself is estimated to welcome nearly 15,000 visitors daily.

A similarly vibrant scene unfolds at Sun World Hon Thom, where daily visitor numbers are estimated at around 7,000. By 9 p.m. each evening, all roads leading to the stage of the show Kiss of the Sea are jam-packed with thousands of tourists flocking to witness the performance.

For the past month, nearly all 40 accommodation facilities, ranging from 5-star resorts and hotels like JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay, New World Phu Quoc Resort, Premier Residences Phu Quoc Emerald Bay, and La Festa Phu Quoc, to 3-4-star hotels and mini-hotels in Sunset Town and Bai Kem, have reported an occupancy rate of over 90%.

During the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the average occupancy rate for 5-star hotels in Phu Quoc is projected to reach 85%, while 4-star hotels are nearly fully booked during the main holiday dates.

“The occupancy rate at our facility in December and January 2025 is consistently above 90%, with some days reaching 100%. In 2024, we’ve seen three to four times more guests than 2023, with international visitors accounting for 70%,” said Vu Cuong, owner of Times Corner Hotel in Sunset Town. He also revealed plans to open a second lodging facility in the heart of the town soon.

The food and beverage (F&B) sector is equally thriving. Viet Hung, manager of Cai Mam Bistro in the bustling Vui Phet night market, said: “During the year-end season, the number of visitors to Sunset Town is two to three times higher than in the middle of the year. At our restaurant, we’ve been operating at full capacity almost every day. Sometimes, we even have to turn guests away because there’s no seating available.”

Hung’s observations echo the sentiments of many business owners in Sunset Town. Nearly 50 F&B establishments in the area have been serving at over 80% capacity for the past few months.

Particularly, for “star” venues like the Sun Bavaria GastroPub, renowned for its unique dinner shows and prime vantage point for watching performances by world champion Jet Ski and flyboard athletes as well as stunning fireworks displays, nearly 1,000 reservations have already been made for New Year’s Eve.

Phu Quoc’s tourism industry has experienced a “busy” 2024 - both in terms of the sheer number of visitors and the steady inflow of revenue.

By 2030, the number of visitors to Phu Quoc is expected to quadruple, which means that the demand for services will multiply exponentially. Therefore, experts suggest that now is the “golden moment” to invest in Pearl Island.