Palayan City, Nueva Ecija — The province of Nueva Ecija is now being considered as the premier Farm Tourism Province in the country aside from its title of The Rice Granary of the Philippines.

During the 43rd Regular Session of the Provincial Board of Nueva Ecija, Governor Aurelio Umali has forged a partnership with the University of the Philippines for the creation of a Comprehensive Tourism Development Framework Plan for the province.

According to Provincial Tourism Officer Atty. Jose Maria Cesar San Pedro, the partnership between the Provincial Government and UP is an important step to boost, strengthen, develop and maximize the tourism potentials of the province.

He added that this would be accomplished through the unity between the tourism officers of local governments and tourism stakeholders that include companies engaged in hotels, resorts, restaurants, travel agencies, farm tourism operators and owners.

He also said that there will also be a series of consultations and meetings to gather the suggestions and comments of stakeholders, identify the potentials of each town and city, determine the infrastructure needed and specify the programs and projects needed to ensure the development of the tourism sector.

A plan is currently being discussed to make Nueva Ecija a Farm Tourism Province where some of the areas are now being developed as farm tourism sites including the Farm Village project in Palayan City.

San Pedro said that the proposed plan will help fellow Novo Ecijanos who rely on tourism to increase their livelihood, since the plan is seen to have great potential for the province, therefore expediting the engagement of potential partners and tourism investors in Nueva Ecija.

He added that from January till September of this year, there have been 1.7 million people which came as day tourists were recorded in the province, higher compared to the 1.2 million tourists recorded in 2022.