While tourism service providers in many other localities have been over-booked for the Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day holidays, hotels and travel firms on Phu Quoc need sales.

A Vietnamnet Newspaper survey showed that as of April 25, only VND4 million air tickets for the HCM City-Phu Quoc route were available during the holiday, while tickets for the Hanoi-Phu Quoc route have sold out.

While air travel is the most convenient way to travel to Phu Quoc, rising airfares since 2023 have resulted in a sharp fall in the number of tourists. Local tourism service providers have predicted fewer customers than in the same period last year.

Rooty Trip Phu Quoc CEO Pham Quang Hau told VietNamNet that they had received fewer bookings for the Reunification Day holiday than last year.

"There are now just 40 flights to Phu Quoc daily, including between 15-20 domestic flights from Hanoi, HCM City and Hai Phong City, a third of 2022," Hau said. "While hotels in Phu Quoc have offered the lowest room rates ever, air ticket shortages have resulted in price surges and passengers turning away."

Vina Phu Quoc Travel Company director Nguyen Vu Khac Huy also shared that they had received fewer customers going to Phu Quoc by air.

"More customers are going to Phu Quoc by boat," Huy said. "They will take a boat from Ha Tien or Rach Gia ports in Kien Giang, which takes 1-2 hours.

According to the Mustgo booking website, hotel occupancy rates on Phu Quoc have remained between 60 and 70 percent for the coming holidays.

Statistics showed that Phu Quoc received over 112,000 visitors during the Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day holidays last year, a fall of 11.50 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

The island welcomed 1.65 million visitors in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 6.40 percent on-year. However, the increase was primarily from foreign tourists. Phu Quoc authorities are still trying to attract more domestic visitors via the waterway amid rising airfares.