Try fruit-picking on your next trip for a change —DOT

Are you planning to go to the beach in La Union or to the cool mountain city of Baguio to get a much-needed respite from the summer heat?

Why not  pick some grapes in Bauang or strawberries in La Trinidad for a different vacation experience?

The Department of Tourism is encouraging travelers to try farm tourism over the summer break. 

Tourists can choose from numerous farms all over the country where they can pick fruits and other produce as well as learn more about food production. 

"Farm tourism is now our tenth tourism product which we've been promoting," Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said at a press forum.

"Mga April and May, pupunta ka kunwari sa La Union, you can go grape-picking, pick and pay," she said. "You can go to Guimaras, you can go mango-picking naman."

"We have so many fruits available," she said. "In Davao they have the durian tour, I think you can taste eight different variants of durian."

Romulo-Puyat, a former Agriculture undersecretary, said the implementing rules and regulations of the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016 were revised recently to ensure that the roles of agencies involved in farm tourism development are more clearly defined.

"The IRR had to be clear so the different agencies would give a budget for farm tourism because it is a law," she said.

With farm tourism, tourists won't just enjoy picking fresh fruits and other produce, they would also learn about farming and composting, Tourism officials said.

Tourism Assistant Secretary Roberto Alabado III said the DOT wanted the public to understand the amount of work put into producing food.

"Ito ho yung isa sa mahalaga nating dapat gawin, that our people, our children, would know where their food comes from. Once we have such an experience then ang mga kabataan natin and our families will not waste food," he said.

"If you want your family to enjoy a healthy lifestyle, learn what to eat and how to eat it and at the same time do some sustainable tourism activities, then i think farm tourism is valuable," said Alabado.

DOT Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. said farm tourism fits perfectly into the DOT's vision for tourism to be "sustainable and inclusive" because it helps local farmers and communities.

"The good thing about it is the economic benefits are immediate. Pag bumisita yung turista dun, whether foreign or local, andun mismo, bibili ng produkto, kakain dun sa restaurant," said Bengzon. "Ito yung kagandahan ng farm tourism: direct, immediate." —NB, GMA News