Kien Giang promotes tourism potential in India

The roadshow was organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in the Southern Asian country and a delegation from Kien Giang province led by Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Pham Vu Hong.

Hong briefed about local socio-economic development as well as tourism strengths, including enchanting landscapes with five untouched archipelagos and Kien Giang biosphere reserve. Particularly, 590 square-kilometre Phu Quoc island has been invested heavily to become a regional eco and resort tourism hub.

Kien Giang province welcomes investment projects in economic zones, key tourism areas as well as agriculture, he added.

The delegation is on a visit to India from December 17-19 to promote trade, investment and tourism as well as discuss measures to bolster cooperation with Indian firms.

Along with New Delhi, they continue promotion activities in Vijayawada city in the southeast Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Phu Quoc Island has become one of the hottest holiday spots in the country in recent years as the local and central governments have gone ahead with ambitious plans to develop it into an international hub for eco-tourism, resort tourism and amusement and a regional financial centre.

Since the island was connected to the national electrical grid and a visa waiver policy which gives foreigners a 30-day visa-free stay was adopted in 2014, foreigners have been flocking to the island.

According to figures from the local administration, the island received 1.96 million visitors in 2017, a 35% year-on-year increase. It included more than 360,000 foreign visitors, up 72%. This year, the resort island expects to welcome about 2.5 million tourist arrivals.

Tourists from countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, China, and South Korea, but also from faraway places like Sweden, Russia, the UK, and Italy, travel here more often now thanks to direct flights from many countries to Phu Quoc International Airport. Some 70-80 flights arrive and depart from the airport every day, including eight to 10 international flights.

Apart from its natural beauty, Phu Quoc island also attracts visitors with its luxury resorts, golf courses, the animal safari, and casinos.

Under the master plan to develop Phu Quoc into a special administrative economic zone, many incentives have been offered to investors to help the island achieve its full potential. Its corporate and personal income taxes are the lowest in the country; land rents are waived for the first four years and cut by 50% for the next nine.