Sustainable direction from cultural identity
After the merger, Phu Tho province has a diverse cultural space, rich in identity, from stilt house architecture, brocade weaving to rich traditional cuisine. In recent years, mountainous communes and wards have gradually exploited this advantage to develop community tourism (CTS) associated with agriculture and ethnic culture. Thereby, creating stable jobs for local workers.
In Pa Co commune, Phu Tho province, together with a number of farming households in Cha Day village, Ms. Sung Y Do has organized a business model under the Mong Space tourism model (H'Mong Cultural Space) in collaboration with households to build homestays to serve tourists coming to the locality to experience eco-tourism. From an initial Mong Space, she has built a number of houses and works to expand the scale of serving tourists such as a foot soaking room with indigenous medicine leaves, a brocade bee wax painting experience...
Mong Space currently has 5 regular employees, with a fixed salary of 3.5 million VND/person along with income per product. All of them are people living in the village. In addition to daily work, I directly instruct people on consulting skills, sales and singing and dancing to help them continue to preserve their cultural identity and develop local tourism" - Ms. Sung Y Do shared.
Creating on-site jobs, retaining young workers
In many localities, many young people after graduating from high school have left their hometown to find work elsewhere, creating a situation of "leaving the countryside and returning to their homeland". Therefore, DLCD has opened up new opportunities for many workers, especially young workers.
The homestay model combined with the cultural experience of Muong Gia Trang Heian in Thong Nhat ward, Phu Tho province is loved by many tourists and chosen as a destination every week. With a stable number of customers, this homestay has created jobs for 9 workers, with salaries ranging from 7-10 million VND/month.
When it comes to community tourism, it is not only important to retain tourists but also to retain local workers. We prioritize recruiting local people as tour guides, roommates, receptionists... In addition to income from salaries, workers are also rewarded according to KPI, and are allowed to participate in service skills training classes. There are bonuses for encouragement during holidays and Tet.
We hope they stick with the profession, considering homestay as their second home" - Ms. Bui Thi Hien, owner of Homestay Gia Trang Heian - shared.
For many local workers, working at homestays is an opportunity to gain more experience and skills in tourism - an important premise for them to be able to master a DLCD model in the future.
I used to think that I would have to leave my hometown to work far away, but thanks to the development of the community homestay, I now have a stable income both near my family and at home. Working here, I learned many new skills such as communication, welcoming guests, cooking traditional flavors... - Nguyen Thi Trang - employee of Gia Trang Heian - said.
According to Mr. Bui Manh Cuong - Deputy Director of the Department of Home Affairs of Phu Tho province, DLCD not only brings economic benefits but also creates many on-site non-agricultural jobs for people in mountainous areas, especially young people and ethnic minority women. This is a direction in line with the goal of shifting the labor structure, helping people increase their income and gradually reduce dependence on traditional agriculture.
With the potential and development in recent years, DLCD is expected to not only solve employment and increase income but also be the "key" to arousing community strength, retaining youth, and preserving the cultural identity of ethnic groups in Phu Tho. Thereby creating a foundation for sustainable development for the homeland of Dat To in the future.
