Faith and farm tourism drive to benefit Cebu

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu stands to benefit the recent move of the Department of Tourism (DOT) to boost the farm and tourism attractions.

DOT secretary Wanda Teo announced that the agency is going full swing on piloting high potential faith and farm tourism.

In faith tourism, Cebu has initially identified potential destinations seen to be in the forefront of this attraction category as Cebu province has rich religious heritage.

Simala Church in the hills of Lindogon, Sibonga has been initially identified by the tourism regional office here to be one of the many faith tourism destinations in the province.

The Simala Shrine is the home of the miraculous Blessed Virgin Mary based on the Catholic belief. Simala Shrine pilgrimage tour can effectively be packaged together with the celebration of the Sinulog Festival every January.

Bantayan Island in the northern tip of Cebu province already made initial works on putting value on the potential of faith tourism on the island.

Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), executive director May Elizabeth Ybañez said Bantayan Island, is set to offer more attractions other than the beach and diving.

Bantayan, she said could be developed as a pilgrimage and heritage destination too.

Siquijor, on the other hand offers other interesting flavor in the "faith tourism" appeal. It is also believed to gravitate towards other market segment with special interest.

Faith tourism, also known as religious tourism, is a type of tourism where people travel individually or in groups for pilgrimage, missionary, or leisure (fellowship) purposes, such as the famous Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, among others.

Last year, DOT-7 in coordination with Department of Agriculture (DA-7) announced to intensify the promotion of farm tourism in Central Visayas, and Cebu will highlight the coffee farm in the northeast part of the province in Tuburan.

Tuburan's 2,000 hectares coffee farm, will be included in the itinerary list of DOT as farm tourism destination in Cebu.

Farm tourism is the practice of attracting visitors and tourists to farm areas for production, educational, and recreational purposes which involves any agriculture or fishery-based operation or activity and may also provide a venue for outdoor recreation and accessible family outings.

Teo said she has given the sector the marching order to focus on the promotion of faith-based tourism products in the different regions of the Philippines, the only Catholic country in Asia.

DOT’s faith-based tourism product aims to also highlight festivals and various Filipino traditions that will encompass a holistic pilgrimage experience.

Faith and Farm Tourism Undersecretary Marco Bautista in a statement said that under the new sector there will be an "enhanced promotions of the country's rich cultural heritage embodied in the historical, architectural and religious significance of numerous churches and age-old traditions."