Tourism and catering service providers in Phu Quoc, a tourist island city off Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam, have pledged to offer products and services at listed prices as a way to attract tourists back to the city, thus reviving its tourism, Phu Quoc chairman Huynh Quang Hung said on Monday.

At a conference to launch a series of events to promote Phu Quoc tourism themed 'I Love Phu Quoc,' Hung said tourism businesses’ commitment demonstrated their respect, hospitality, and politeness to visitors.

Local authorities will impose strict sanctions on those involved in overpricing.

Hung also called on local tourism service providers and residents to express their hospitality by greeting domestic and international tourists.

Between Thursday this week and Tuesday next week, the city’s 33-member inspection team, led by Huynh Thanh Minh, head of the economic division in Phu Quoc City, will assess the quality and pricing of tourism services throughout the city to ensure the interests and safety of tourists.

Besides an existing hotline, the division has proposed the Phu Quoc City administration add another for tourists’ complaints and reports of violations, Minh informed.

The new hotline will be prominently displayed at all hotels and resorts as well as on passenger transport vehicles, including both traditional taxis and ride-hailing cars.

Complaints about overpriced tourism services on Phu Quoc have circulated widely on social media.

The exorbitant prices have kept tourists away from the island city.

During the National Day holiday from September 1 to 4, Phu Quoc saw the sharpest-ever decline in the number of domestic tourists, at 26.5 percent.

The average occupancy rate of lodging facilities reached about 27 percent only, according to Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper.

However, the city welcomed over 4.7 million tourists in the January-September period this year, up 15.5 percent year on year.

Of the total, there were some 470,500 international travelers, nearly triple that in the same period last year.

The city earned more than VND12.2 trillion (US$497 million) in tourism revenue in the nine-month span, surging 117.7 percent, news site Vietnamplus reported.

The 8Wonder Winter Festival in Phu Quoc on Saturday last week, during which renowned American band Maroon 5 graced the stage, attracted more than 12,000 local and foreign visitors.

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