Agriculture tourism seen benefiting from greater mobility for children
By Revin Mikhael D. Ochave, Reporter
AN AGRI-TOURISM business owner said a recent resolution by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) allowing children to visit more sites will help the industry bounce back from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Michael S. Caballes, owner of agri-tourism destination Bukid Amara in Lucban, Quezon, said he is hoping foot traffic will increase after the issuance of IATF Resolution No. 125 which allowed children aged 5 years old and above to go outdoors in areas under general community quarantine and modified general community quarantine.
Quezon Province is observing general community quarantine between July 1 and 31 while its capital, Lucena City, is under modified enhanced community quarantine between July 1 and 15, according to IATF Resolution No. 124 signed on June 30.
Mr. Caballes told BusinessWorld by mobile phone that his farm has only been seeing around 20% of pre-pandemic foot traffic.
“We welcome this news as most families would really like to bring their kids outdoors. Majority of the inquiries we were getting in the past few months were about whether we allow kids. With this development, foot traffic will definitely increase,” Mr. Caballes said.
“We have been lobbying for this since most agri-tourism destinations have outdoor facilities like Bukid Amara, and so long as we follow social distancing and wearing masks and health protocols are followed, the families can enjoy outdoor leisure activities,” he added.
Mr. Caballes said he was also forced to make adjustments during the pandemic, including a Grab&Grow line of urban gardening products launched in May 2020 to cash in on the boom in plant cultivation.
“When the pandemic hit, we had no income for a few months. Since we have a small (business) involving potted flowers and herbs and some vegetables, we focused our effort on production during the pandemic,” Mr. Caballes said.
Some of the tourist attractions of Bukid Amara include flower meadows, a café, a fish feeding pond, and picnic grounds.
Grab&Grow offers seeds and starting and potting mixes for urban gardeners.
“Even during the lockdown, we continued to cultivate the bloom field to give our followers a positive vibe in the middle of the pandemic. The tourists are coming back although not as much compared to before the pandemic,” Mr. Caballes said.
Mr. Caballes said he plans to keep the entrance fee at P100 despite the projected higher demand as a result of the IATF resolution.
He also encouraged other agri-tourism sites to find other opportunities and diversify their revenue streams.
“The pandemic has presented us with plenty of challenges and also an opportunity to re-strategize our business plan and adopt to the new normal,” Mr. Caballes said.
“We do wish tourism can return to the old normal but for the time being, the pandemic also opened up some opportunities for us (in) the urban farming market,” he added.
