CAM RANH, Vietnam, 19 December 2018: Bangkok Airways is the latest airline to signal its intention to fly to Cam Ranh airport, the gateway to Nha Trang beach, one of Vietnam’s popular holiday destinations.
Cam Ranh is also an emerging destination in is own right with unspoilt beaches closer to the airport than Nha Trang.
Starting 25 January, Bangkok Airways will operate four flights weekly from its home base at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to Cam Ranh International Airport.
Flights are scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday aboard a 144-seat Airbus 319.
The Bangkok connection is the latest airline link to Cam Ranh airport that has recently been upgraded with a brand new USD163 million passenger terminal.
The airport can now handle 4 million passengers per year and is served by 30 international daily flights.
On 16 December, the Russian S7 Airlines debuted direct flights from Novosibirsk to Cam Ranh, having launched a service from Irkutsk in November. It joins a long list of Russian charter carriers offering direct services.
Earlier this year, Vietnam Airlines introduced direct flights from Cam Ranh to Seoul in South Korea, joining VietJet Air, Jeju Air and Korean Air.
Just over a year ago, AirAsia started direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Cam Ranh following HK Express the first airline to offer direct flights from Hong Kong.
Over the past few years Vietjet Air, China Southern, Air China, Jetstar Pacific Airlines, Loong Air and Sichuan Airlines have also started offering direct flights from Chinese cities including Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi’an and Kunming.
Recognised as the gateway to nearby bustling beach city, Nha Trang, Cam Ranh is now drawing holiday makers to Long Beach, a 8-km stretch about a 10-minute drive from the airport.
Since 2015, more than 30 hospitality projects have been licensed for development along the beach.
“With so many international resorts establishing themselves in Cam Ranh over the next few years, coupled with excellent infrastructure in place such as the airport expansion to cater to tourism growth, Cam Ranh will soon rival the likes of Danang, Phuket and even Bali as being among Asia’s best beach destinations,” Cam Ranh International Terminal’s deputy general-director and chief operating officer, Sulaiman Zainul Abidin.
“People can’t get enough of Cam Ranh as there isn’t a more desirable place to be on the water in Vietnam,” added Pham Van Hien, owner and chairman of the Anam, a five-star 12-hectare resort overlooking Long Beach.
As a complement to the expanding resort scene, Greg Norman in November unveiled his latest design, KN Golf Links, a 27-hole development that marks his third effort in the country and a new anchor for golf along the south central coast.
The main attraction at the club is its 18-hole Links course, inspired by the classic seaside layouts of Scotland and Ireland and described by Norman as one of the “most unique properties I’ve ever been able to work with.”
Complementing the Links course is the Oasis: a 9-hole, garden-style challenge that runs inland from the clubhouse.
(Source; Balcony Media Group)
