Assessment of Eco-Tourism Products in Tuba, Benguet: A Basis for an Action Plan Toward Sustainable Tourism

A concise and factual abstract is required. The abstract should briefly state the research problem/gap, research objectives, methodology, principal results, and the number of values and significant conclusions. An abstract is often presented separately from the manuscript; hence, it must be able to stand alone, preferably typed in one paragraph, and should not exceed 300 words. Immediately after the abstract, a maximum of 5 keywords should be provided, indicating the scope of the paper. They should be arranged in alphabetical order. Tourism plays a vital role in fostering national development by driving economic growth and cultural exchange. For local government units, the challenge lies in innovating and promoting diverse tourism products and services, a task that necessitates strong collaborations between public institutions and private stakeholders. The study aimed to ascertain the potential of Tuba, Benguet as an ecotourism destination by examining the level of implementation of its tourism plan, as well as activities and problems in the different tourism destinations in various barangays. The study used a quantitative-descriptive survey to assess its potential as a tourism destination and the marketing of its eco-tourism products. The analysis uncovered no significant differences in some dimensions of the tourism plan, except in the implementation of strategic promotional activities, indicating a significant difference. Activities in the different selected tourism destinations in this town offer unique tourist experiences depending on the typographical features and location. Among the problems and concerns identified in this study were related to maintenance and cleanliness, road network improvement, signage, billboard installation, destination information fact sheet, convenience stores, lack or unavailability of tour guides, and lack of safety and security. The findings suggest that the tourism plan should capture improvements along with accessibility, accommodation services, and tourism amenities and services. In addition, the town’s tourism blueprint must strengthen its public-private partnership, which is essential in improving the strategic promotional activities across the town's destinations.