Foreign tourists visit the ancient Hùng Lô communal house in Hùng Lô Village, Phú Thọ Province. VNA/VNS Photo Trung Kiên

PHÚ THỌ — The Tourism Stimulus Programme 2025 has created a strong driving force for tourism in Phú Thọ to speed up development and turn the province into a must-see destination in the northern region.

Just over an hour's drive from Hà Nội, Phú Thọ has many advantages for developing diverse types of tourism. Its tourism sector aims to increase the number of foreign visitors and their length of stay in the 'ancestral land'.

The stimulus programme, which kicked off in July this year, is being implemented across the province through numerous activities, including promotion, infrastructure upgrades, product diversification and digital transformation.

Under the initiative, the number of visitors has already increased by 11.1 per cent, with revenues reaching a record VNĐ14.8 trillion (about US$562 million). This helps uphold the province's goals and methods for tourism development in the new era.

After merging with Hoà Bình and Vĩnh Phúc provinces, Phú Thọ encompasses diverse ecological regions, including mountains and river deltas, with more potential for developing cultural, spiritual, ecological and agricultural tourism, authorities and experts have said.

With its rich cultural heritage, particularly Xoan singing and Hùng King worship – two local pieces of heritage recognised by UNESCO – along with natural resources like mountains and rivers, special-use forests, caves, valleys and the Thanh Thủy hot mineral springs, Phú Thọ has the ability to develop many different types of tourism products.

Famous tourist destinations such as Xuân Sơn National Park, Hoà Bình Lake, the Long Cốc tea hills, Hùng Temple, Tam Đảo and the Mường - Dao - Thai community tourism route have also opened up space to connect potential regions.

This could be a huge advantage for Phú Thọ to attract investment, develop new products and expand its market in the next five years.

To implement an action plan under the Tourism Stimulus Programme, Phú Thọ has held or participated in a series of notable promotion events, including the Hoa Ban Festival 2025; the 21st Hồ Chí Minh City Tourism Festival; the VITM Hanoi International Tourism Fair; the Northwest - Điện Biên Quintessence Festival 2025 and the ITE HCMC Fair.

The province has also hosted many domestic and international famtrip and press delegations to survey products, such as trips with the themes 'Colours of the Ancestral Homeland - Travel to Love' and 'Discover Xuân Sơn'. Many of the delegations hailed from Thailand, the central region or international businesses.

A digital communications campaign themed 'Phú Thọ Tourism - Multicoloured Experience' was deployed on social networks, short video platforms and festival livestreams. Digital products like tourist maps, video clips introducing destinations and QR codes at tourist sites have been widely applied, helping improve tourists' experiences.

This year, the province's tourism stimulus programme drew the participation of 38 businesses offering discounts of 10-30 per cent for a wide variety of services, including accommodation, food, entrance ticket packages and family vouchers. 

The total number of visitors so far in 2025 has reached 14.5 million, an increase of over 1.4 million compared to 2024. Of these visitors, the number of foreign tourists reached 676,000, an increase of 11.8 per cent on-year.

Phú Thọ's accommodation sector is also developing rapidly, with 1,525 establishments and 92 hotels. 

Key tourist areas such as Hùng Temple, Thanh Thủy, Xuân Sơn, Tam Đảo and Hòa Bình Lake have recorded a surge in tourists thanks to infrastructure upgrades, expanded services and the creation of new products like MICE tourism, community tourism, agricultural tourism, night tourism and sports and entertainment services.

According to Bùi Xuân Trường, deputy director of the province's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Tourism Stimulus Programme 2025 has yielded many good results.

Tourism in the province has improved in both quantity and quality. The number of visitors and tourism revenue have both increased, and Phú Thọ's image as a destination has become more professional. 

The province also has a more diverse array of products on offer, while its businesses have participated in the stimulus effort. VNS