Promoting OCOP products in association with tourism development

Phu Tho is a province with potential for tourism development. Taking advantage of that strength, in recent years, the tourism industry and the agricultural industry have linked up to promote introduction of OCOP products through integration with tourism stimulus programs.

On May 8, 2023, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed and issued Decision No. 1180/QD-BVHTTDL announcing the profession of making banh chung and banh giay in Viet Tri city, Cam Khe district, Tam Nong district officially registered in List of National Intangible Cultural Heritages. The two types of cakes symbolize “Round Heaven - Square Earth”, associated with an Intangible Cultural Heritage registered by UNESCO as the Hung Kings Worshipping Belief. Banh chung has become an OCOP product of many localities, including: Ninh Hang banh chung (Hung Lo commune, Viet Tri city), Nguyen Thi Minh Anh banh chung (Hung Viet commune, Cam Khe district), Dong Co banh chung (Bao Thanh commune, Phu Ninh district)...

Taking advantage of cultural strengths, many linking activities between the agricultural and tourism industries were implemented, creating momentum to promote local consumption of OCOP products. Notably, the week of promoting, introducing and linking consumption of OCOP products associated with Phu Tho province tourism in 2022 is the opening activity. The promotion area attracted 90 booths from 12 provinces and cities, of which, 53 booths from inside the province with 600 products achieved OCOP certification of three stars or higher. Accumulated by the end of 2023, the whole province has 237 OCOP products achieving three stars or higher from 160 entities and 126/225 communes, wards and towns. After being certified, OCOP products have contributed to promoting the strength and role of the community in preserving and developing the local traditional culture.

Along with that, OCOP product shopping and sightseeing spots are connected to building an experiential tour “Returning to the Land of the Ancestors” to be deployed from 2022. This is a meaningful activity to form a sightseeing and shopping spot to serve people and tourists coming to the fatherland, contributing to diversifying tourism products and services, increasing tourist spending when coming to Phu Tho. Mr. Nguyen Duc Hoa - Director of the Tourism Promotion Center, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said: "Recently, the province’s tourism industry has continuously implemented plans to promote and develop agricultural tourism products through many online tourism promotion activities, especially on technology platforms. Introducing and promoting tourism products in general and OCOP products in particular is a long-term strategy that requires synchronous participation from all levels and sectors. The authorities need to make good of propaganda and raising awareness of people and communities in developing tourism products and promoting OCOP products, building closed tours, exploring craft villages and specialized farming areas combined with experiencing and exploring OCOP product production facilities, creating values for tour products in Phu Tho."

In a context where resources to introduce and promote the consumption of OCOP products by localities and entities are limited, connecting with cultural and tourism activities is a positive direction. In 2023, the number of visitors staying in the province is estimated at 776,000; Total revenue from tourism services is estimated to reach 3,365 billion VND (up 27% compared to 2022), which are “speaking” numbers that show the growth of the tourism industry. Promoting OCOP products associated with tourism potential will contribute to increasing consumption of OCOP products on the spot, which is a way to make the most of the potential and strengths in the future.

Thuy Trang