Many tourist destinations in the western region are overcrowded.

On July 4th, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hien, the owner of a canoe service in Duong To commune, Phu Quoc city, Kien Giang province, said that Phu Quoc has been quite busy with tourists during the summer holiday.

He owns 9 speedboats (20-38 seats each), running 12 trips a day, but it's still not enough to serve tourists who want to take the An Thoi 4-island tour, snorkel to see coral reefs, take photos, and swim in the sea.

"Every day we have to turn down many groups of tourists who call to book speedboats because we're overloaded," said Mr. Hien.

Nguyen Ha Trieu, the manager of a scuba diving resort, said that thousands of visitors come here every day. Because of the large number of visitors, more than 30 guides have to work continuously for 6-8 hours a day.

Other popular attractions such as the Hon Thom cable car, VinWonders Phu Quoc theme park, and Phu Quoc Safari always attract thousands of visitors.

Mr. Huynh Cong Minh, a tourist from Can Tho City, said that this summer he and his family chose Phu Quoc for a 4-day, 3-night vacation. Thanks to the help of friends who booked the speedboat service in advance, Mr. Minh was able to have a complete and meaningful holiday with his family.

"Phu Quoc is so crowded and amazing. If I hadn't had the help of friends to book in advance, I think it would have been very difficult to find a tour guide here," Minh said.

Mr. Bui Quoc Thai, Director of the Kien Giang Department of Tourism, said that Phu Quoc is currently experiencing a large influx of tourists. To prevent tourists from being overcharged, the department has established numerous inspection teams to ensure that local tourism businesses sell at fair prices, guarantee food safety, and avoid negatively impacting the health of tourists and the image of local tourism.

In An Giang, Ms. Huynh Thi Nhu Lam, head of the tourism development department of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that in the first six months of 2022, An Giang welcomed approximately 5.2 million visitors, an increase of 60% compared to the same period in 2021, and is estimated to reach 113% of the 2022 plan.

Specifically, the number of guests staying in standard hotels was 110,000, a decrease of 26% compared to the same period in 2021, reaching an estimated 55% of the 2022 plan. Revenue from tourism activities is estimated at 2,900 billion VND, an increase of 37% compared to the same period in 2021, reaching an estimated 97% of the 2022 plan.

According to Ms. Vo Thi Tuyet Ngoa, head of the tourism management department of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dong Thap province, in the first six months of 2022, Dong Thap welcomed over 2 million visitors, an increase of 78.57% compared to the same period in 2021. Total tourism revenue in the first six months is estimated at over 800 billion VND, an increase of 124.72% compared to the same period in 2021.

From now until the end of the year, Dong Thap aims to attract an additional 1.5 million visitors. The total tourism revenue for the last six months of 2022 is estimated at 700 billion VND.

Anh Thi