DOT welcomes ‘Disneyland’ for social tourism in Bulacan

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Tourism (DOT) has welcomed the establishment of the so-called Disneyland for social tourism in the Philippines at the Gawad Kalinga’s Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan.

“This is all about social tourism which is probably newest and most exciting development in the tourism industry today. I am very happy that the very concept of social tourism is based on people. It just happens to be one of our strengths so this is very significant development,”” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said.

“Over one billion people traveled in 2012, so someday all middle to upper income people have already traveled and why do they keep on traveling? The answer to that is some day they travel not just see places but to meet people and social tourism is an opportunity to do exactly that and to encounter people they have not encountered before,” Jimenez said.

GK founder and chairman Tony Meloto, for his part, said the Enchanted Farm will have the first farm village university in the world.

“A convergence of local and international social entrepreneurs because we are building a hub for social entrepreneurs in Asia and also the home of nation builders. We want to end poverty by creating prosperity and you cannot end poverty by being poor yourself,” Meloto said.

Meloto said it’s about time to promote social tourism as the country intensifies efforts for inclusive growth.

“We are now defining a new brand of tourism, social tourism, that it is not only more fun in the Philippines but more fun and fulfilling because we are also attracting the brightest, best people who want to do good in Asia,” the GK executive said.

Named after the place of its origin, Bulacan’s Barangay Encanto — which connotes images the supernatural and magical in Filipino — the Enchanted Farm is the canvas for GK’s second phase of the 2024 road map to end poverty in the Philippines.

Meloto said the 34-hectare Enchanted Farm, which is the first of Center for Social Innovation (CSI) sites around the Philippines, will follow three concepts: Village University for sustainable community development, Silicon Valley for social entrepreneurship, and Disneyland for social tourism.

An ideal site for any university student, the Enchanted Farm will expose students on how to start social enterprise and communities from the ground-up attracting students from all sorts of disciplines.

Fifty of the most innovative social enterprises in the Philippines will not only be conveniently located in the Enchanted Farm to showcase their brands, but will also share in the resources of the farm and facilities.

Why Disneyland of social tourism? “Through the magical stories of the Enchanted Farm, enchanting not only through stories of fairy tales that of duwende’s (Filipino for elf) but also real life experiences, tourists can see how dreams can become a reality in a nation where its people were once provided to find solutions and greener pastures elsewhere.