BONTOC, Mountain Province – Recognizing the role of the youth in the promotion of tourism through the use of social media, 50 junior high school students toured farm tourism sites in this capital town on March 6, 2019.
The participants are photography and video productions students from the Mountain Province General Comprehensive High School (MPGCHS).
According to Municipal Tourism Officer Caren Guinayen, this is the first time that an educational tour on farm tourism catering to junior high school students was initiated with funding from the Bontoc municipal government through its Municipal Tourism Office (MTO) covering the transportation, food, entrance and environmental fees of the student exposurees.
The activity aimed to increase the knowledge of the students on the different tourism sites in Bontoc, encourage them to become tourism ambassadors, and promote Bontoc as a tourism destination through the use of social media, while practising what they have learned photography and video production in school.
Among the sites visited were the Bontoc Dairy Farm owned by Fonet Modesto Dirige, Lanfang Farm owned by the family of Ben Ayochok, Blue Farm owned by Dan Evert and Shirley Sokoken, Khayad Farm owned by Lynda Khayad and Demo Farm managed by the Bontoc municipal government through the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist, topped by a visit to the Maligcong Rice Terraces.
Guinayen relayed that the students to take photos and videos of the farm tourism sites they visited and process these using the skills they learned in school on photography and video editing to produce outputs.
Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey immediately approved the proposal believing in the capabilities of the youth in the promotion of tourism destinations of Bontoc through the necessary skills they learned in school and through responsible and effective social media posting.
The participants were accompanied by their teachers assisted by staff from the MTO along with students of Mountain Province State Polytechnic College Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management who are on job training at the MTO.
By Alpine L. Killa
Banner file photo: The Mt. Kupapey Summit rewards this hiker an overlooking view of the Maligcong Rice Terraces in Bontoc Mt. Province. Contributed photo
