Kien Giang Visitors to the Maroon 5 show in Phu Quoc had to spend a lot of money on plane tickets but received discounts on hotel rooms.
Maroon 5 - a famous American pop rock band - will perform at the 8Wonder stage, Phu Quoc United Center on December 16 in their first visit to Vietnam.
According to a survey by VnExpress , airfares from Hanoi to Phu Quoc increased sharply during the event. If you fly on December 15 or the morning of December 16, you will need to spend 3.5-4.5 million VND for a one-way flight. Many travel agencies commented that this price has doubled compared to normal days. If you fly two or three days before the event, you will only have to pay about 1.4 million VND per leg. However, the return flight price is stable, about 1.5 million VND per person.
A 5-star hotel in the north of Phu Quoc Island offers a 25% discount to guests who buy tickets to a music show. Photo: Wyndham Grand Phu Quoc
Airfares have increased, but hotel room prices have not increased, or even decreased. The event is taking place in the north of the island, so travel agencies believe that visitors will mainly stay there. When purchasing event tickets, customers will receive a 25% discount on listed room rates at hotels such as Vinpearl Phu Quoc, Wyndham Grand, Radisson Blu, Wyndham Garden from December 14 to December 19. In addition, visitors will also receive a 50% discount on tickets to VinWonders on December 16.
Ms. Lan Anh, sales manager of a large hotel in the north of the island, commented that tickets to the event are not cheap (VND1-10 million per ticket), so it is impossible to create more pressure on tourists. Each 4-5 star hotel in the north of the island has from 500 to 1,500 rooms. Therefore, the possibility of filling 60-70% of the room capacity is unlikely.
"We just try our best to make it easier for audiences to come to shows and events in the north of the island, thereby spreading more activities to the community and customers," she said.
According to Ms. Lan Anh, programs like Maroon 5’s show are an opportunity for Phu Quoc to promote its image to domestic and foreign tourists. Tourism businesses on the island hope to bring the image of Phu Quoc as vibrant as Pattaya, Bangkok (Thailand) and as a tourist-friendly destination. Therefore, accommodation establishments often launch promotional packages to stimulate demand and attract more tourists to Phu Quoc.
Mr. Vu Tien Van, Chairman of Adavigo, a travel agency specializing in the Phu Quoc market, said he had imported about 500 event tickets to create combos of event tickets + hotel rooms at prices about 20% cheaper than buying individually. Mr. Van said the number of 500 combos was relatively large but enough to be confident that they would be sold out by the event date. On November 3, this unit sold about 100 combos.
Adam Levine, frontman of Maroon 5, performs at the 2019 Super Bowl in Atlanta (USA). Photo: NBC News
The representative of this unit expects airlines to stabilize airfares to Phu Quoc. This is a destination that depends heavily on air routes, with very few visitors traveling by water. If the event were held in cities with convenient transportation such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Mr. Van could confidently sell out all 1,000 combos.
"Phu Quoc really needs a price stabilization policy from airlines to create an image of an attractive tourist destination for sustainable development," he said.
Minh Anh, director of a travel agency in Hanoi, said he was offered tickets to the event about two weeks before it was announced. However, he decided not to buy them, partly because of concerns about airfare.
Mr. Minh Anh also believes that similar events in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City are certainly easier to sell. He predicts that at least 40% of visitors to Phu Quoc to watch the show will have to travel by air, putting great pressure on ticket prices.
However, Mr. Minh Anh affirmed that the event will be a strong boost for Phu Quoc tourism, which is suffering from many problems leading to a decrease in the number of visitors.
Mr. Nguyen Vu Khac Huy, Vice President of Kien Giang Province Tourism Association, commented that this is a difficult time for the tourism industry worldwide, not just Phu Quoc. The appearance of Maroon 5 brings a positive signal to the tourism industry in the "pearl island". Tourism businesses in the city need to know how to take advantage of the event to promote their products to tourists.
"Phu Quoc has great potential to become a leading destination for tourism products combining sports and entertainment. Both the north and south of the island often have attractive events, depending on the time," said Mr. Huy.
Tu Nguyen
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