Farm Tourism 101
Establishing a farm nowadays does not only mean planting and propagating fruits and vegetables, as what farmers from long ago were accustomed to doing. Adhering to today’s modern and changing times, putting up added attractions, activities, and facilities that would cater to every member of the family should be considered. Farms, like any endeavor, could be treated as a sustainable means of livelihood, as well as a boost in the tourism industry of every country.
As defined in the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016, farm tourism is the practice of attracting visitors and tourists to farm areas for production, educational, and recreational purposes which involves any agricultural or fishery-based operation or activity, and may also provide a venue for outdoor recreation and accessible family outings. Several stakeholders
have been contributing their own expertise in order to comply with the law. ISST, or the International School of Sustainable Tourism, Inc. is one of these stakeholders which aims to provide education and technical training in order to develop, promote, and viably operate sustainable tourism in the Philippines. They administer experience-based learning programs with intensive short-term courses in various aspects of sustainable tourism.
During its recent offering of Farm Tourism 101 with Farm Guiding Course, a mix of millennials and not-so-young participants, who either have or don’t have experiences in farming, were divided into groups, and were asked to create a presentation about a farm tourism project incorporating the lessons they have learned from their two-day farm guiding course. Here are some of the Farm Tourism 101 tips they were able to apply, and are worth sharing:
1. Always start with a viable project and determine a unique selling proposition. Highlight the strengths that would serve as a selling point of the farm and those that would make it sustainable and successful.
2. Begin small, but think big. Having a vision is seeing the big picture.
3. Wow factor. As a millennial, ISST COO Mike Quitorio advises farm owners to include something new that would wow visitors like him to the farm. Nowadays, a farm should be Instagrammable (a photo or a picture that is worth posting on the social media site, Instagram). Farmers should leverage on the use of social media as a tool to influence the millennials to visit a farm. Moreover, during the presentation, a presenter wore a shirt with a statement that reads “Farming is cool, smart, and sexy,” erasing the notion that ‘agriculture is boring,’ especially among millennials.
4. Farms should include maps on their website or social media accounts for easier access. Farm locations should also be readily located through navigation apps such as Waze or Google Maps. Putting up clear and colorful signage could also help visitors locate the area or the facilities within the farm.
5. Farms should also mention the added attractions within the vicinity. A famous landmark or an attraction owned by famous personalities could also help in the marketing strategy. Banking on others’ popularity could do wonders to attract visitors.
6. Farms should have a well-defined market. Photos of the product should be added in the presentation about the farm. An example could be a kid-friendly farm where school field/ educational trips could be held.
7. Farm activities should also be varied, like putting up small animals where visitors can do the animal feeding themselves, a zipline, egg picking activity for a livestock farm, farm demonstrations, etc. Incorporating food preparation or DIY (do-it-yourself) activities can also do wonders for agri-tourism farms. A “maglalatik” dance, for example, could also be performed in a bahay-kubo-themed farm and entice visitors to participate.
8. Importance of cleanliness of facilities also matters. For ISST’s Robert Lim Joseph, he dreams of seeing a bahay-kubo inside a farm with a 5-star toilet since, as he says, the toilet reflects the kind of owners the farm has.
9. Safety and security is also of utmost importance. There are actually pros and cons in hiring a guard for a farm; a guarded farm could either mean a threat is present in the vicinity, or it’s just that the owners simply hired one as in any other property. Not having a guard, on the other hand, could also mean that the place is secured by nature, or it could be that the place lacks the personnel required for a given property. Whatever they choose to do, the owners must discern and ensure the guest’s safety at all times.
10. Give importance to the community where the farm is located. You can even hire neighbors as farm workers or suppliers, thereby creating jobs for all. This way, you help the community while at the same time helping yourself.
11. Tell the story of the farm to involve and inspire visitors.
12. Include facilities such as homestays or farmstays where visitors can mingle with the owner’s family or become hosts for family visitors as their form of immersion. Soon, you may also include your farm in online booking engines for more visibility and marketing. A common service facility could also be a comeon as you help others with their machine requirements.
The sharers during the presentation are ISST officials Dr. Mina Gabor, Robert Lim Joseph, Joselito Bernardo, Mike Guioguio, and Mike Quitorio.