Sustainable development of farm tourism in Batangas Province

Abstract

Batangas is an agriculturally rich province in Southern Tagalog Region, a promising vehicle for long-term economic, social, cultural, and environmental progress among its people. This research identified the impact of farm tourism in the province of Batangas, both beneficial and detrimental in conjunction with sustainable development. The researcher used a descriptive research study to gather and evaluate quantitative data. A total of 385 respondents coming from the identified residents of the municipalities in Batangas province where farm tourism businesses are located comprised the sample population. In analyzing the data gathered through a survey instrument, the needed data were tallied, encoded, and interpreted using different statistical tests such as frequency, percentage distribution, weighted mean, ranking, Shapiro-Wilk Test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal Wallis test. Based on the result, majority of the respondents are Millennials, ages 25-40 years old, and single. Most are residents of the municipalities where farm tourism businesses are located and are high school graduates. The respondents moderately agreed in terms of economic and social benefits of farm tourism in Batangas Province but disagreed in terms of cultural and environmental benefits. They moderately agreed in terms of the negative economic and social impacts of farm tourism in Batangas Province but disagreed in terms of cultural and environmental impacts. Given the results, the researcher proposed an Action Plan for the Sustainable Development of Farm Tourism in Batangas Province to help the business owners and for further awareness of the residents about the significance of farm tourism in the province.