Asia's '2nd most beautiful island' eyes Muslim tourists amid travel boom

By Hoang Vu October 3, 2025 | 08:00 pm PT

Khem beach in Phu Quoc Island, southern Vietnam. Photo by SG

Phu Quoc Island, voted the second most beautiful island in Asia last year by readers of American magazine Condé Nast Traveler, is looking for ways to cater to a growing number of Muslim tourists.

Nguyen Vu Khac Huy, chairman of An Giang Province's Tourism Association, highlighted Phu Quoc's potential in attracting Muslim travelers, noting that this market offers significant opportunities for the island's marine and tourism sectors, according to Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

"We hope that direct flights will soon resume from countries with large Vietnamese Muslim populations, helping to boost the number of Muslim tourists visiting Vietnam," Huy said, as cited by Tuoi Tre newspaper.

The number of Muslim tourists to Vietnam is expected to increase from 2024, with an estimated 650,000 visitors. However, this figure remains modest compared to other Southeast Asian destinations.

According to the World Tourism Association, catering to Muslim tourists could generate billions of dollars in revenue for the tourism industry.

The number of Muslim tourists is rising rapidly, projected to reach 230 million by 2028 who can spend an estimated $225 billion, according to the Global Muslim Travel Index 2024.

Nguyen Trung Thanh, deputy director of the An Giang Department of Tourism, confirmed the rising influx of Muslim international tourists to Phu Quoc, identifying it as a new and growing market for the island's tourism industry, as reported by Lao Dong newspaper.

Tran Van Tan Cuong, director of Vietnam National Halal Co. Ltd., pointed out that the global Muslim population is expanding at an average rate of 1.5% annually and is projected to reach 2.8 billion by 2050, Nhan Dan newspaper reported.

Countries such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have substantial Muslim populations.

Cuong explained that Muslim travelers have specific requirements — food must be free from prohibited substances, and halal hotel rooms must adhere to Islamic principles, including gender-segregated areas and no alcohol.

Phu Quoc welcomed 6.5 million visitors from January to September, surpassing last year's total of 5.9 million.

Most recently, it ranked third on Travel + Leisure magazine's list of the 10 best islands in the Asia-Pacific region, trailing Bali and Koh Samui.

Last year, Phu Quoc was voted the second most beautiful island in Asia, after Bali of Indonesia, by readers of Condé Nast Traveler.