Every year, the global Green Destinations Top 100 competition invites candidates to submit stories about sustainable management of tourism and its impacts. From the winners announced last year, we’ve selected a submission from the Philippines. Synopsis by Ian Vorster.
Agritourism to the Rescue on Negros Island
Top 100 submission and photos by the city government of Bago.
On the west side of Negros Island in the Philippines, the municipality of Bago – “Home of Historical and Natural Treasures” – is a 40,120-hectare (401.2 km2) agroecological region, rich with diverse flora and wildlife, drop-dead beautiful mountain views, and a coastal wetland. Part of the 7th Ramsar Site in the country, the wetland is a critical stopover for migratory birds on the East Asia–Australasian Flyway.
One of only three estuaries in the Philippines where the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins are found, it is also known as the Negros Occidental rice granary, while rich volcanic soil from Mount Kanlaon Natural Park provides for extraordinary food variety. These contrasting regional assets, some for humans and some for nature, have not always worked together, especially in the form of tourism, which has been stagnant. Agritourism potential was untapped, with low tourist arrivals and few apparent attractions.
To support an economic recovery for Bago, the local tourism and agriculture agencies launched in 2018 the “Booming GREEN AGritOurism”[sic] or (BAGO) program. This initiative has been transforming farmers into “Agri-Entrepreneurs,” maximizing farm resources, promoting sustainable tourism, and prioritizing a triple bottom line—planet, people, and prosperity.
The BAGO program shifted the focus to sustainable, climate-positive development. It leveraged the city’s rural landscape, agroecological biodiversity, and rich farming culture to develop unique farm tours, green gastronomy events, slow-travel initiatives, and farm-to-park weekends. Together these offerings produced a roughly 80% increase in travelers while boosting local pride and yielding an additional flow of income for communities.
Read More See the full submission here.