PHUKET TOURISM HOPE FOR MORE VIETNAMESE VISITORS

PHUKET TOURISM HOPE FOR MORE VIETNAMESE VISITORS

PHOTO: Reuters/Chalinee Thirasupa

The president of the Phuket Tourist Association is optimistic that the island will see an increase in Vietnamese tourists following promotional campaigns in the country.

Thanet Tantipiriyakit says it’s hoped at least 120,000 Vietnamese visitors will arrive in Phuket this year, which would be a 50% increase on the 80,000 the island welcomed last year. This follows promotional campaigns run in Hanoi on May 21 and Hoi Chi Minh city two days later.

Last year, Thailand welcomed a total of 1 million Vietnamese visitors, but only 8% of them went to Phuket. Tourism operators on the island are hoping that will increase to at least 12% this year. Thanet says direct flights currently operating between Ho Chi Minh and Phuket will help.

Supakan Yodchun from the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Ho Chi Minh office says people in southern Vietnam have the purchasing power to travel abroad. She’s hopeful Phuket could appeal to this market, pointing out that the island can cater to both individual tourists and those travelling with their families, as well as business travellers attending meeting or seminars.

Meanwhile, data from the Tourism and Sports Ministry shows that between January and April this year, around 290,000 Vietnamese visitors arrived in Thailand, which is a 5.4% decrease on the same period last year.