Thanks to non-stop efforts to improve its facilities and services, Saigon-Phu Quoc Resort has gained reputation and clients’ confidence for years.

Phu Quoc Island in the Southwestern sea of Vietnam is considered a tourist heaven whose beauty can be compared with such dreamlike tourist islands as Bali of Indonesia and Phuket of Thailand. The pioneer venture in developing this beautiful island’s tourism industry was Saigon-Phu Quoc Resort, and more investors have arrived to build a strong tourism operation. New services and the beauty of the place have created a positive image among local and international travelers.
Built on 2.5 hectares with 40 rooms, Saigon-Phu Quoc Resort opened to public on April 2000. It has six investors, of whom Saigontourist is the majority shareholder and bears management responsibility. On January 2004, the resort raised the number of rooms to 90 on 3.5 hectares and was granted four-star status by the Vietnam National Administration for Tourism.
In 2000, it was quite difficult to get to the island as there were only two boats making the journey and the weather was the key to travel. In addition, every week, there were only three flights carrying 180 passengers, half of whom were locals. In the rainy season, around September and October, the resort had an occupancy rate of only 20%, and operating costs doubled those on the mainland. Also, trained staff members were very hard to get.
“To attract tourists to the resort, we decided to do marketing using multi-segment target strategies, offering long-stay and package travel service. We also focused on exploring the potential of the forest and sea, and local tourists,” says Phung Xuan Mai, Saigon-Phu Quoc Resort general manager. Thanks to the investment in infrastructure by the local and central authorities, the number of tourists to the resort has increased by 100% each year.
Between 2000 and 2003, the number of guests grew eightfold to 20,047. Last year, it had 55,000, mostly from Germany, France, the U.S. and Japan, but there were also a lot of overseas Vietnamese and locals. Its turnover was VND34.27 billion in 2006. The resort accounts for 25% of tourists to the island and 60% of its total tourist turnover. In May 2005, the island had 26 places offering tourist accommodation with 1,270 rooms.

Great efforts
In 2006, the resort spent over VND1 billion on advertising. Additionally, it had booths at trade fairs in Germany, France and Japan. The motive for this promotion was to achieve an occupancy rate of 80%, contributing to raising that of the whole island to 60%. Moreover, as a member of the Vietnam MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) Club, it joined forces with six other four- and five-star resorts and 12 international travel services in Vietnam to participate in a road show in Australia, the U.S., Russia, Thailand, Singapore and elsewhere.
Mai says the resort taps international markets through its sales agents in Germany, France, Japan, the U.S., Russia, Spain, Australia and South Korea. The resort has also boosted trading on the Internet and special websites (www.vietnamphuquoc.com, www.phuquoc.info and www.sgphuquocresrt.vnn.vn).
As for Vietnamese tourists, its sales agents throughout Vietnam provide 40% of guests each year. Mai says that because the standard of the resort’s service is far above all competitors, the rate of tourists returning is 25% each year.
As for the room service, the resort has often upgraded its facilities to better meet the changing demands of tourists. “The resort has 40 bungalows and 90 rooms available with comfort and convenience for families,” Mai says. “In the near future, we will offer private servants and babysitters so that parents can have free time to be together, and newly-weds will have special rooms for their honeymoon, just to list a few of the new services.”
The resort’s strength is its free services such as a doctor on call, Internet and wireless Internet, a golf driving range and tennis court, babysitting, bicycling, kayaking, 24-hour ATM and a Vietnam Airlines ticketing service.
Moreover, it is well-regarded for its conference and entertainment services. For over six years, it has provided tourists with travel services and fishing, squid angling and scuba-diving to explore the island’s coral reefs. Last year the resort opened a gaming club.
With its present success, Saigon-Phu Quoc Resort is in the process of investing in big projects, including a five-star resort at Sao Beach and a casino-resort with a 36-hole golf course on 200 hectares at Can Estuary, and is set upon contributing to developing the island as a center for eco-tourism.

(Source: Saigon Times Weekly)