Phu Quoc Named Among the World’s 10 Most Appealing Islands by a Leading Global Travel Platform

Phu Quoc – Southeast Asia’s New Luxury Hub

Rather than Bali, Phuket or the Maldives, Phu Quoc is the destination selected by online travel platform Expedia for its list of the world’s 10 most appealing islands in 2026, the Expedia Island Hot List 2026. The annual ranking highlights island destinations recording the strongest growth in interest among global travellers. Phu Quoc is also Vietnam’s only representative and one of just two Asian destinations on the list, alongside Palawan in the Philippines.

Unlike many rankings based on reader votes, the Expedia Island Hot List draws on flight-search data from across the Expedia ecosystem, combined with global social media conversation data. According to Expedia, searches for island destinations rose by an average of 55% in 2026, while social media mentions increased by 20% year on year. The trend suggests that travellers are increasingly looking towards emerging islands that combine beautiful scenery and diverse experiences with better value for their holidays.

Against this backdrop, Expedia named Phu Quoc “Best for Affordable Luxury,” recognising it as a standout destination for premium holidays at reasonable prices.

“Phu Quoc is fast emerging as Southeast Asia’s new luxury hub. It is a standout choice for travellers seeking high-end experiences without the hefty price tag,” Expedia noted. According to the platform, social media mentions of Phu Quoc surged by 235% year on year, reflecting the island’s growing appeal on the international tourism map.

This also reflects one of the most notable trends shaping global tourism. Rather than following the crowds to long-established destinations where prices continue to rise, travellers are increasingly prioritising places that offer a comparable standard of service at a more accessible cost. Alongside Syros in Greece and Porto Santo in Portugal, Expedia highlighted Phu Quoc as a prime example of the “luxury with value” trend, where high-end holidays come with exceptional value.

Phu Quoc’s inclusion in the Expedia Island Hot List extends a growing series of accolades from leading international travel organisations and publications. In 2025, readers of Condé Nast Traveler voted Phu Quoc the most beautiful island in Asia and the third-best island in the world. In early 2026, the island retained second place in the Best Islands in Asia category at the DestinAsian Readers’ Choice Awards. Most recently, the Travel Leisure Luxury Awards ranked Phu Quoc second among the best islands in Asia-Pacific, ahead of Bali and behind only the Maldives.

Why Phu Quoc Is Emerging as Asia’s New Tourism Star

Expedia’s recognition reflects Phu Quoc’s remarkable transformation in recent years. Once best known for its pristine natural beauty, the Pearl Island is steadily developing a large-scale tourism, hospitality and entertainment ecosystem, offering experiences that unfold from morning until night.

Alongside celebrated natural attractions such as Khem Beach, Sao Beach and the An Thoi archipelago, southern Phu Quoc continues to introduce landmark attractions and tourism products. These include the three-wire cable car to Hon Thom, Aquatopia Water Park with the world’s first new-generation water slide, Kiss Bridge - praised by CNN - Sunset Town, and multimedia shows such as Kiss of the Sea and Symphony of the Sea, accompanied by artistic fireworks every night. This seamless chain of experiences encourages longer stays and brings Phu Quoc closer to the region’s integrated resort and entertainment destination model.

The island also offers a diverse accommodation portfolio, ranging from hotels and resorts to luxury retreats. This enables Phu Quoc to cater to multiple international visitor segments while retaining its cost advantage—an attribute Expedia identified as one of the destination’s most distinctive strengths.

Connectivity is also improving steadily, supported by a growing network of international flights, a 30-day visa exemption for foreign visitors and the arrival of Sun PhuQuoc Airways. In the coming period, the airline’s expanding route network is expected to make Phu Quoc more accessible to international source markets.

Meanwhile, preparations for APEC 2027 are providing further momentum for infrastructure development, spanning the airport, transport links, accommodation, convention facilities and urban spaces. This investment goes beyond preparations for a major international event. It is also laying the groundwork for Phu Quoc to strengthen its competitiveness against the region’s leading island destinations.

From an island celebrated for its natural beauty, Phu Quoc is gradually emerging as a new hub for tourism, entertainment and international events in Asia. Its inclusion in Expedia’s list of the world’s 10 most appealing islands in 2026 offers further evidence of the destination’s growing allure and reinforces Phu Quoc’s increasingly prominent position on the Asia-Pacific tourism map.