The number of tourist arrivals in Phu Quoc Island off Kien Giang Province since early this year has been rising sharply, almost doubling year-on-year.This marks the first time the number of visitors to Phu Quoc has suddenly grown after the year-end peak season, said Le Minh Hoang, director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Kien Giang Province.Usually in the low season, Phu Quoc welcomed some 20,000 tourists each month, but last month the number of tourists visiting the island was 38,000.Hotels on Phu Quoc are often full. Currently, there are about 17 flights and eight ships taking tourists to Phu Quoc every day.“The new airport has connected Phu Quoc with many other localities. Traveling by sea is also more convenient thanks to two additional passenger ships, and thus the tourist number is surging significantly,” said Hoang.In mid-December, Airports Corporation of Vietnam inaugurated Phu Quoc International Airport in Duong To Commune after four years of construction. The airport can receive long-range, wide-body aircraft like Boeing B777-300 and Boeing B747-400.It is estimated that Phu Quoc Airport will have a capacity of 2.65 million passengers per year by 2020 and seven million passengers a year by 2030. Phu Quoc has been connected with the country’s big tourist centers, such as HCMC and Hanoi.Hoang said the new airport encouraged many investors to accelerate their projects on Phu Quoc Island.Four hotel and resort projects have got off the ground since early this year. The largest project covers an area of 250 hectares and consists of 1,000 rooms, while the remaining three have a moderate scale. A number of projects are being conceived.There are now some 98 standard tourist accommodation facilities with more than 2,900 rooms on the island.Last year, Phu Quoc welcomed around 400,000 visitors, an increase of 14% over the preceding year. The island is usually most crowded during the summer.