Farm tourism gets major boost at Baguio int’l confab
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The country’s growing farm tourism industry got a major boost as over 300 stakeholders and policymakers converged in Baguio City for the recent 9th International Farm Tourism Conference.
Organized by the International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) and co-presented by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the City Government of Baguio, the confab also marked the launch of the Farm Tourism Strategic Action Plan (FTSAP) 2026–2031 which DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco underscored in her keynote address.
“Gastronomy begins with our farms, our fisheries, and the communities that produce the food that defines our national table. Farm tourism reinforces this pillar by strengthening agricultural supply chains, enabling direct sourcing, and ensuring that rural communities are embedded within the tourism value chain,” the tourism chief said.
Developed in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry, the plan seeks to improve standards, infrastructure, enterprise development, and market integration for farm tourism sites across the country.
Frasco added that the DOT, through the FTSAP national roadmap, aims to grow the value of farm tourism to US$197 billion by 2032.
The said plan is an offshoot of Republic Act No 10816 or the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016 authored by then senator Cynthia Villar.
She pointed out that based on World Travel and Tourism Council statistics, travel and tourism contributed US$91.8 billion to the Philippine economy in 2025, or nearly 20 percent of GDP, supporting more than 11 million jobs.
Meanwhile, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said farm tourism can be a powerful tool for building resilient upland communities and creating additional attractions in the Cordilleras, with the strong connection between agriculture and culture.
Moreover, Philexport president and CEO Sergio Ortiz-Luis said that the country’s farm tourism industry was valued at US$1.6 billion in 2025 which proves that it is not just a niche market, but also a “major growth engine for rural development and export.”
He noted that according to statistics of the Philippine Exporter’s Confederation, the archipelago has some 138 DOT-accredited farms which is a potential source of goods for export.
The three-day confab included panel discussions on highland coffee innovation, traditions and technology, six pillars of sustainable farm tourism, digitalization and artificial intelligence, and preservation of natural and cultural heritage.
There were also scientific and technical inputs on sustainable food system, brand storytelling and marketing, climate reality adaptation, building resilient communities, and upland freshwater technologies.
A conference highlight is the fifth Asian Farm Tourism Awards (AFTA) Night which honored outstanding local and Asian entrepreneurs for their trailblazing initiatives.
Awarded Best Farm Tourism Enterprise were Charinee Chaiyochlarb of Mini Murrah Farm in Thailand and Raymond Aaron of Villa Socorro Farm from Pagsanjan, Laguna.
Agus Wibowo of Indonesia’s PT-Agro-Lestari-Merbabu received the Outstanding Youth Entrepreneur, while Agri Tourism Development Corp. of Pakistan CEO Tariq Tanveer and The Morning Market of Taiwan chairman Fang Tzu Wei won the Outstanding Farm Tourism Advocate award.
The three-day confab drew to a close with immersion tours to notable farm tourism sites in the neighboring towns of La Trinidad, Tuba and Atok in Benguet.
The conference is supported by the Tourism Promotions Board, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, Philexport, Philippine Retirement Authority, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Trade and Industry, with Philippine Airlines as official carrier.
ISST held its first Farm Tourism Conference in 2014 in Daet, Camarines Norte and has since gone around key cities across the country such as Tagaytay, Iloilo, Cebu, Bohol, and General Santos. Next year’s edition will be hosted by Bacolod City.
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