PHUKET: Tourism operators on this southern resort island hope to see more vacationers from Vietnam after a recent promotional campaign in the country’s two biggest cities.
Operators hope to see at least 120,000 visitors from Vietnam this year, a 50% increase from 80,000 last year, after the events held in Ho Chi Minh City on May 21 and in Hanoi two days later, said Thanet Tantipiriyakit, president of the Phuket Tourist Association.
Thailand recorded about 1 million arrivals from Vietnam last year but only 8% selected Phuket as one of their destinations. Operators hope to see at least 12% of all visitors from Vietnam travel to Phuket, helped by direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City, he added.
People in southern Vietnam have more purchasing power to travel overseas and Phuket could appeal to them, said Supakan Yodchun of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Ho Chi Minh City.
The island has facilities to cater to vacationers coming individually or with their families, and can also accommodate visitors planning meetings or seminars, she said.
About 290,000 Vietnamese arrivals visited Thailand from January to April this year, a 5.4% drop from the same period of last year, according to Tourism and Sports Ministry data.