The City of Bago in Negros Occidental, which is part of the current global Green Destinations Top 100 Stories list, is highlighting its “green agritourism” initiatives to become a sustainable tourism destination.

As a direction of the city’s tourism industry, “Green” means Global, Regenerative, Empowered, Equitable and Natural.

“Agritourism and ecotourism is really the priority of our tourism industry,” senior tourism operations officer Mae Ann Furtos said on Thursday.

Through the “Booming Green Agritourism” program, this city just south of Bacolod is positioning itself as “a global destination that ensures regenerative tourism through empowered tourism stakeholders, equitable resources and opportunities for the different sectors of the community, and natural and sustainable tourism development is an utmost priority of the local government”.

Last week, Mayor Nicholas Yulo led the turnover of farm signages as assistance to farm sites, which are part of the “Booming Green Agritourism” program.

The recipients were the Senoro Green Farms, Chris Fadriga Cacao Nursery and Plantation, Mailum Organic Village Association, and Abner Fish Trading for the production of Bago River Eel.

“We have farms, we have the environmental beauty. We are capitalizing on it. We have seen the potential of Bago as an agritourism destination. There’s no need for more infrastructure. With just the improvement and capacity development of our agritourism site owners or the farmers, we already have sites to offer that can be enjoyed by tourists,” Fortus said.

In September last year, Bago City received the award for being part of the Top 100 “Green Destinations” list for 2022, a recognition given by the Netherlands-based Green Destinations Foundation in Athens, Greece.

Green Destinations cited the city’s effective governance, capacity-building programs, and involvement of local stakeholders for the revival of the rich biodiversity of the Bago Watershed.

The “Reviving the Majestic Diversity of Bago Watershed” project also placed third in the Environment and Climate Category of the Green Destinations Story Awards of the Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) held in Berlin, Germany last March. (PNA)