DEVELOPING QUEZON PROVINCE AS A FARM TOURISM DESTINATION

Farm tourism is also referred as Agritourism. Farm tourism plays a vital role to the tourists visiting it. Agritourism is not only for the purpose of being a tourist destination. Agriculture connected to tourism offers unique experiences to tourists. Not only as being a tourist destination, farm tourism also promotes farm products. Through farm tourism, it encourages people to venture into agriculture to know things about farm products. By the emerging of farm tourism in the Philippines, the researchers came up with a study that is about developing Quezon Province as a farm tourism destination. The study is limited to MJD Escape Farm, Farm of Joy and Cortijo De Palsabangon tourists. The researchers used descriptive research design in the form of questionnaire in order to acquire reliable results from the respondents. Also, we used qualitative method in a form of interview for the head/managers of each establishment. The researchers used quota sampling to give/identify the number of respondents and convenience sampling to choose respondents with equal opportunity to be part of the study. Based on the gathered data, the researchers concluded that the farm sites are capable of being accredited by the Department of Tourism. The farm tourism sites namely Cortijo De Palsabangon and Farm of Joy met the minimum standard requirements for accreditation. As for MJD Urban Escape Farm, the farm will not only comply with the minimum standard requirements but will compete internationally. The only thing that is keeping them from making their farm accredited is time and funds.