No visa required for tourists to Phu Quoc on short stay
Foreigners and Vietnamese nationals holding foreign passports can enjoy visa exemption for stays of less than 30 days on Phu Quoc Island from March 10, according to a new decision by the Prime Minister.
Besides, foreigners who enter Vietnam via either an international airport or an international port and then come to Phu Quoc can also enjoy the visa exemption policy.
The new decision doubles the visa-free stay compared to the decision issued in 2005, which helps boost the island’s tourism and heap praise from travel firms.
Hoang Thi Phong Thu, chairwoman of Anh Duong Co. which cooperates with Pegas Touristik in taking Russian tourists to Vietnam on charter flights, said that the longer visa-free stay was great news to Russian visitors. Currently, Russian tourists can stay in Vietnam for only 15 days without visa requirement but many want to stay longer, she added.
We will introduce this policy to partners in Russia as well as offer new tours,” Thu said.
Anh Duong Co. will welcome the first charter flight flying to Phu Quoc Island next month, and other flights of the kind will be operated regularly throughout the year.
According to Thu, in an effort to take more tourists to Phu Quoc, representatives of Vietnam Airlines, Phu Quoc International Airport, Phu Quoc Island and Anh Duong Co. organized a meeting in Moscow last November with Pegas Touristik, Nordwind and Ikar airlines.
To travel firms in HCMC, the longer visa-free stay for tourists on Phu Quoc Island is also a good chance to attract more tourists. However, many express concerns over the insufficient accommodation for tourists on the island.
Therefore, to have more tourists Phu Quoc needs to accelerate investments in infrastructure, services and hotels so that travel firms can have sufficient rooms with good prices to be offered to tourists.
Under Kien Giang Province’s overall socioeconomic development planning until 2020, Phu Quoc Island will become a special administrative-economic zone, a high-end entertainment-tourism center, a financial center and an important transport hub in 2020.
Phu Quoc Island is forecast to welcome 2-3 million tourists per year in 2020, with international tourists accounting for 35-40%. The respective figures in 2030 will be 5-7 million and 45-50%.
According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, around 548,000 tourists came to Phu Quoc in last year’s January-October period, up 27.8% year-on-year.
Source www.thesaigontimes.vn, posted on 2 Jan 2014
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