The City of Bago in Negros Occidental has been named to the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories for 2023 during the unveiling ceremony held at the Seaplane Harbour in Tallinn, Estonia Monday night (Tuesday morning in the Philippines).

The recognition is the second received by the city just south of Bacolod. It was first included in the same list in 2022 by the Green Destinations Foundation based in The Netherlands.

This year, Bago City’s good practice story, “Growing a Food Sufficient and Climate Smart Agroecological Destination,” is among the winners in the Nature and Scenery Category.

Senior tourism operations officer Mae Ann Furtos, who received the award on behalf of Mayor Nicholas Yulo during the ceremony, said in a statement that their entry is “a narrative of Bago as a prime agroecological destination in Negros Occidental.”

“This is in recognition of our efforts towards responsible tourism and distinctive appeal,” she added.

Bago’s story tells about the local government unit’s (LGU) “ongoing journey towards sustainable destination development, community empowerment, climate resilient agriculture, food sufficiency, environmental preservation, and regenerative tourism.”

Locally, Bago City is known as the “Rice Granary of Negros Occidental” for its vast rice plantations.

Furtos said the LGU is glad to tell the story of Bago City as “an agroecological destination as it strives to move towards a responsible, sustainable, and regenerative form of tourism.”

It highlighted the agriculture and agritourism initiatives of the local government unit.

In a separate statement, Yulo said the city is once again honored to be on the list of internationally recognized destinations with stories and practices that uphold sustainable tourism development.

“The award is both an inspiration and a confirmation of the right direction that we are in. It encourages us to do more,” he added.

In September last year, Bago City’s “Reviving the Majestic Diversity of the Bago Watershed” project was also included in the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories for 2022.

The Top 100 Green Destinations is an international platform that acknowledges and celebrates the most inspirational initiatives for sustainable tourism development. (PNA)