The southern province of Kien Giang estimates it will have welcomed 7.6 million tourists – including 580,000 foreigners – by the end of this year, up 25.5 per cent and 57 per cent against last year, respectively.

The provincial Tourism Department said that besides Phu Quoc Island – one of the hottest holiday spots in Viet Nam in recent years – Kien Giang’s other destinations such as Nam Du and Lai Son islands in Kien Hai District, Ba Lua Island in Kien Luong District and Hai Tac Island in Ha Tien have become more popular to both domestic and foreign visitors.

The quality of services at tourist attractions has been improved, and tourism promotion activities have intensified. The locality is also speeding up construction of tourism development projects, especially on Phu Quoc. This year, an expanded terminal was inaugurated at Phu Quoc International Airport, helping raise the airport’s annual capacity from 2.6 million passengers to 4 million.

Next year, the southern province hopes to serve 8.3 million holiday-goers. To that end, it will intensify tourism promotion at home and abroad, while focusing resources on upgrading infrastructure, improving the quality of products and the capacity of hospitality workers. The province will also put forward preferential policies to attract more investors to local tourism. — VNS