ILOILO City – Iloilo province has diversified its tourist destinations via several “farm circuits,” the provincial director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.
Such destinations have potential for growth and could open up an alternative tourism market to complement the Boracay Island-dominated tourism sector, said Diosdado Cadena Jr.
Farm tourism can become a viable component of Iloilo’s tourism economy, Cadena said as he cited numerous farming sites not only in Iloilo but also in Bacolod City.
“Indi ni competition, pero alternative – alternative sites,” Cadena said in light of questions on where tourists, both local and foreign, would go now that Boracay was closed off to visitors for six months.
“Ang mga farm sites nga ina may mga swimming pools kag shaded, damo trees, so comfortable na dira,” he said. “So, I would say not competition but complementation.”
Asked about the farm tourism market’s growth prospects, Cadena said, “Wala gid problema basta services kag consumption kay ang population ga-grow.”
“Ma-grow gid na ang mga farm circuits,” he said, adding that such destinations promote rest and healthy lifestyle and provide a venue for affordable farm produce.
Moreover, aside from hotels, beaches and farm tourism, untapped cultural and historical tourist attractions may also offer new business opportunities once properly developed and promoted – further diversifying Iloilo’s tourist destinations – Cadena added./PN
