Calling for more flights to Phu Yen

Phu Yen province is calling for airlines to open more flights to Tuy Hoa as well as encouraging current airlines such as VASCO and Vietnam Airlines to increase weekly flights. At present, there are 3 Vietnam airlines' flights from Hanoi per week and daily flights of VASCO from HCMC to Phu Yen .
The province wants to open daily flights from Hanoi to Tuy Hoa and 11 flights from HCMC compared to current 7 weekly flights. However, the seat occupancy on the flights from Hanoi is only 60%, and that from HCMC is 70%, Deputy-Chairman of the province, Le Kim Anh said.
In addition, Jetstar Pacific Airlines and Air Mekong are also encouraged to open flights to bring more tourists to the province in the national tourism year 2011.
Phu Yen hopes to welcome 500,000 visitors next year compared with 320,000 arrivals in this year. However, traveling to Phu Yen is not very easy by limited air services while the train service is inconvenient for visitors as Phu Yen is just a small station on the north-south railway. Therefore, the province would work with the Vietnam Railways on solutions for people to travel by train.
Anh admitted difficulties for air carriers who want to deploy big aircraft for their services to the province as the runway at Tuy Hoa Airport is short and thus is suitable for smaller planes only. The province cannot resolve the situation by itself and will ask the Government for help to upgrade the airport.
Meanwhile, the province has proposed one temporary solution by having transportation companies pick up tourists from Phu Cat Airport in the neighboring province of Binh Dinh and bring them to Phu Yen. “We have quality transportation companies so we can welcome tourists coming via Phu Cat, around 140 kilometers from Tuy Hoa,” he said.
The government has given green light for Phu Yen to host the National Tourism Year 2011. This is one of the province’s efforts to best serve tourists in the important coming year. Coming to the south-central coastal province of Phu Yen, tourists will have chances to enjoy lovely landscapes such as: Nhan Tower - which was a place of worship for the Cham people dated in the late 11th to the early 12th centuries; Vung Ro – an enclosed bay considered one of the most beautiful seaside landscapes of Central Viet Nam; or The Da Dia Rapids, located 80km north of Tuy Hoa City, close to the sea, is also a unique destination with strangely structured rocks including large upright stones equally arranged in a star pattern...