The Philippines gets a fighting chance as Asia’s leading destination for farm and gastronomy tourism, as the Department of Tourism (DoT), Department of Agriculture (DA), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), with the help of the private sector, unite to conceptualize the Farm Tourism Strategic Action Plan (FTSAP) 2026 to 2031.

FTSAP 2026-2031 aims to promote sustainable tourism, empower Filipino farmers and position the Philippines as a leading destination for farm and gastronomy tourism in Asia.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the milestone launch of the FTSAP on 16 February, officially operationalizing and scaling the country’s farm tourism framework into a fully integrated national strategy linking tourism demand directly with agricultural production and rural enterprise.

The FTSAP, anchored on Republic Act 10816, or the Farm Tourism Act of 2016, expands the government’s farm tourism strategy from policy framework to full operational execution by strengthening accreditation systems, integrating farm tourism sites into structured tourism circuits, and aligning infrastructure, enterprise development and market access.

The roadmap also deepens grassroots engagement by directly linking farmers, rural enterprises, and tourism establishments, ensuring that tourism demand translates into sustained income, employment and long-term livelihood opportunities in rural communities.

Frasco and Tiu Laurel also signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) on Farm, Food, and Gastronomy Tourism between the DoT and DA, which backs the FTSAP and expands the government’s farm tourism strategy by strengthening coordination across production, enterprise development, infrastructure, and tourism demand, creating more sustainable livelihood opportunities for farmers, producers and rural communities.

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Complementing the roadmap, the MoA institutionalizes closer collaboration between the tourism and agriculture sectors to expand farm- and gastronomy-tourism offerings, promote Filipino cuisine and agricultural heritage, and strengthen supply chains that connect farmers and producers directly to tourism establishments, ensuring that tourism demand translates into sustained economic opportunities at the grassroots level.

At the MoA signing, Frasco underscored the economic impact of strengthening linkages between tourism and agriculture, noting that tourism serves as a vital driver of rural development amid strong global growth in agritourism.