Bangkok Airways is slated to launch a new direct route between the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc and Bangkok later this month, the Thai carrier announced on Thursday.

The service, launching October 29, hopes to meet the rising demand in tourist travel between Bangkok and Phu Quoc, an up and coming holiday destination in Vietnam, according to Bangkok Airways.

“The aim of this new launch is to provide better flight connections for European, Thai, and Vietnamese customers, as well as offer regional connecting routes to Phu Quoc Island for its long-haul codeshare partners,” the carrier said in a press release.

Four weekly flights will commute between Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Aiport and Phu Quoc International Airport on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays using ATR 72-600 70-seat aircraft.

Currently, travelers to Phu Quoc from Thailand are forced to transfer flights in Ho Chi Minh City or the central-Vietnamese city of Da Nang – another Bangkok Airways destination. 

“The fast growing economy in Phu Quoc has the potential for travel demand from local and expatriate travelers, while Phu Quoc, as a paradise island in Vietnam, attracts tourists from around the world,” Bangkok Airways’ vice president for sales Varong Israsena Na Ayudhya said in a statement.

Located in the Gulf of Thailand, beautiful Phu Quoc - known as Pearl Island, is Vietnam’s largest island at approximately 600 square kilometers.

Phu Quoc is known for being a tourism hot spot in Southeast Asia and is managed as a Special Economic Zone.  It has an expected annual economic growth of 25 – 30 percent.

In 2016, Phu Quoc attracted over 1.45 million tourists from around the world.  Its 30-day visa free policy for foreigners makes it particularly attractive to German, English, French, Swiss, and Russian tourists.    

“We believe this launch will bring sustainable benefits for the tourism development of Thailand and Vietnam in the future,” said Songkrot Palakawong Na Ayuthaya, corporate communications director for Bangkok Airways.

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