‘Food tourism boosts local economy, farm production’

BOHOL, Philippines — Food tours in this province have helped boost agricultural production and the local economy, according to farm owners and food producers.

Tour guides accredited by the Bohol provincial tourism office brought 260 delegates – mostly Filipinos and their families and foreigners from Canada, Germany and the United States – to a Winter Escapade tour program here on Feb. 26.

Tours included visits to farms such as the Lasang Farm in Maribojoc town, Green Thumb Farm in Corella and Julio’s Bed and Breakfast in Loay.

The 3.2-hectare Lasang Farm is planted with 1,500 cacao trees, 300 of which bear fruits and supply tablea and chocolates to clients in Cebu and Bohol.

Delegates explored the production of pink oyster mushrooms at the Green Thumb Farm. They also tried dishes such as mushroom kare-kare and sisig, siakoy or fried twisted bread covered with sugar, also called bicho-bicho, and crabs soaked in coconut, ginger and lemongrass.

"Provincial tourism office product development officer Gina Kapirig said Bohol came up with food tours as sought by tourists aside from ”fitness tourism, fork or food tourism, farm-to-table tourism and faith tourism.”

The provincial government has been providing capacity training programs to food producers and farm owners since food tourism was introduced in the province.

At a recent Philippine Farm Tourism conference held in Panglao, Undersecretary Mae Elaine Bathan said the Department of Tourism expects farm tourism to flourish, with around 200 farms across the country recognized by the DOT as of December 2023.

Bathan said the government is drafting a six-year farm tourism sustainable development action plan that will serve as “reference for the overall direction of farm tourism.”