When we covered Phu Quoc’s airport expansion in May 2025, we called it the clearest sign of where the island was heading. Fifteen months later, the numbers have caught up with the construction cranes. Agoda’s latest data shows international accommodation searches for Vietnam climbed nearly 50% year on year — and Phu Quoc led every major Vietnamese destination with a 49% jump of its own.
For European and Russian agents, the message is simple: client demand for Phu Quoc is no longer a forecast. It is measured, it is growing, and the island being rebuilt for the APEC 2027 summit will be ready just in time to meet it.
| +49% Search growth | 90% Hotel occupancy | 20M Airport capacity | +217% French searches |
Sources: Agoda 2025 search data (published June 2026); Phu Quoc tourism statistics, early 2026; Sun Group airport expansion plan.
The numbers behind the surge
Agoda’s figures, published in June 2026, put Phu Quoc’s 49% search growth well ahead of Vietnam’s other big five destinations — Da Nang rose 25%, Ho Chi Minh City 26% and Hanoi 23%. The long-haul story is even stronger: searches for Vietnam from France jumped 217% and from Germany 120%, helped by the 45-day visa exemption now covering many European markets.
On the ground, the interest is converting. Phu Quoc welcomed almost a million visitors in January 2026 alone, up more than 60% year on year, and hotel occupancy touched 90% in the early months of the year — numbers that put the island ahead of Bali and Phuket over the same period. Russia remains one of the leading international source markets: last winter brought 75–80 charter flights a month from 14 Russian and CIS cities, alongside new links from Warsaw, Bucharest and Chisinau.
What APEC 2027 is actually building
Hosting the APEC 2027 meetings has compressed a decade of investment into roughly two years, with a reported US$5 billion-plus flowing into the island. The centrepiece is the airport: a 1,050-hectare expansion worth nearly VND 22 trillion (around US$850 million), designed to lift capacity from today’s 4 million passengers a year to roughly 20 million once the first phase opens.
- A second 3,300-metre runway — built to ICAO 4E standard for wide-body jets such as the A350 and Boeing 787, and due in service before the end of 2026. This is what makes future nonstop flights from European hubs realistic.
- Terminal 2, the ‘Fire Phoenix’ — designed by CPG Consultants (Singapore) and Artelia (France), structurally complete and scheduled to open by spring 2027.
- A dedicated VIP terminal — a 6,000 m² building for state guests, finishing in late 2026.
- Changi-standard operations — Singapore’s Changi Airport Group will run the airport, with biometric processing that cuts check-in to 15–20 seconds per passenger.
Beyond the runway, the island is getting upgraded main roads, a new ceremonial boulevard, expanded convention facilities and a growing pipeline of internationally branded resorts — infrastructure that stays long after the delegates fly home.
How the visitor experience changes by 2027
Arrivals first. The current airport was designed for 4 million passengers and handled more than that in 2024, so regular winter visitors know the queues. By the 2027–28 season, clients should walk from a jet bridge through biometric immigration in minutes — a completely different first impression of the island.
Access improves next. More runway slots and wide-body capability mean more direct routes, shorter connections and better seat availability in peak season. On the island itself, smoother roads shorten transfers, and new venues open the door for incentive groups and conferences that Phu Quoc simply could not host before.
Two honest caveats for client briefings. Guests travelling in late 2026 may still see construction in parts of the south of the island — resorts along Ong Lang and the northwest coast sit furthest from the works. And around the summit weeks in late 2027, expect tight inventory and possible short-notice restrictions; leisure bookings are better placed either side of those dates.
| AGENT INSIGHTSell the window, not just the island. Winter 2026–27 offers pre-APEC rates with the new runway and VIP terminal already open. For winter 2027–28, lock allocations early: post-summit publicity plus a fivefold jump in airport capacity will lift demand fast.And keep Phu Quoc’s trump card front and centre: 30 days visa-free for every nationality when clients fly in directly and holiday on the island — no paperwork at all. For wider Vietnam itineraries, many European passports now get 45 days visa-free, with a 90-day multiple-entry e-visa available to everyone else. |
How to package Phu Quoc for 2027
The island slots neatly into the itineraries European and Russian agencies already sell. Pitch it as winter sun — December to March is the dry season, with sea temperatures around 28°C while Northern Europe freezes. Pair it with Saigon and the Mekong Delta via a one-hour domestic flight, or position it as the honeymoon finale after a cultural route through the north.
For product ideas, our Phu Quoc Island Guide 2026 covers the seven experiences agents’ clients ask for most, and our guide to the best beaches in Vietnam shows where Sao Beach and Long Beach rank nationally. From 2027, add MICE to that list — the new convention capacity makes Phu Quoc a serious incentive destination for the first time.
The bottom line
A 49% search surge is the market confirming what the APEC planners decided two years ago: Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s next global destination. 2027 will not be the year the island gets discovered — it will be the year it gets easy. The agents who build their Phu Quoc product now will own that demand when it lands.
| Your team on the ground in Vietnam VietOne Travel has spent 33 years building itineraries for European and Russian agencies — including beach programmes, honeymoons and MICE groups on Phu Quoc. Browse our travel packages or contact our Saigon office to secure 2027 allocations while the island is still ahead of the curve. |
