10 January 2011

Frost Tourism: Good and Bad News

Since the climate in Baguio City will get colder till February, municipal agriculturist Fred Rufino of the Department of Agriculture (DA) had came up with another income-generating scheme: frost tourism.

The temperature in the country ranges from 25.5oC to 28.3oC. But being elevated 1,500 meters from the metro, Baguio’s mean annual temperature is 18.3oC. The average vegetable farmer in Atok earns only P20,000 every harvest.

The ‘frost injury’ could make money. Aside from making the semi-temperate vegetables tastier, the yearly phenomenon could also attract local and international tourists to the area.

The plan is self-defeating, though. Instead of doing our part to combat climate change, we envisaged to profit from an environmental collision. Is that how the Department of Tourism (DOT) ought to develop regional economy and develop national tourism?

"The Central Philippines will be a significant destination that offers direct international access, seamless interconnectivity, world-class tourist facilities and products that meet the demands of tomorrow’s tourist. The Central Philippines will achieve these through the sustainable development of tourism products, environmental protection and enhancement, underpinned by adequate infrastructure with rational management of the destinations, capacity building, investment promotion, effective marketing and an improved business environment."
- 2006 State of the Nation Address

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