Central Philippines’ Nature’s Village Resort takes spot in Green Destinations Top 100 Story Awards

The Nature’s Village Resort in the Central Philippine province of Negros Occidental won first place in the Environment and Climate Category of the global Green Destinations Top 100 Story Awards.

The award was given at a ceremony held at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) Berlin in Germany on Tuesday, 4th March.

On their social media account, resort officials stated: “This recognition is a testament to our unwavering commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.”

The resort’s entry was among the four from Negros Occidental representing the Philippines that made it to the finals under the same category; it was also the only winning entry from the country.

The Green Destinations Top 100 Story Awards showcase and celebrate the most inspirational initiatives for sustainable tourism development from stories submitted to the annual Green Destinations Top 100 Stories competition based in The Netherlands.

Following nature’s way

With its good practice story Nature’s Way: Fostering Sustainable Practices and Positive Environmental Impact, the resort’s strongest gains have been the reduction of economic leakage by producing compost material through vermiculture, its eco-bricks program, reduction of electricity bills by installing solar panels, and selling excess food waste to local hog growers.

Resort officials recognised key environmental issues in its home city of Talisay, specifically regarding pollution and waste management. 

They pointed out: “Reducing our carbon footprint by growing our own vegetables, eradicating the use of single-use plastics, consciously reducing greenhouse gas emissions while saving thousands of liters of water every month are among our strong interventions.”

Regenerative agritourism in the Philippine south

Meanwhile, neighbouring Bago City placed third in the same category for its Regenerative Agritourism: Cultivating a Sustainable Future for Bago City, Going towards Bago City’s Climate Positive Tourism.

The initiative was developed to support Bago City’s economic recovery, in tandem with the Booming Green Agritourism programme developed by local tourism and agriculture agencies.

The initiative transforms farmers into agri-entrepreneurs, maximises farm resources, and promotes sustainable tourism whilst prioritising a triple bottom line: planet, people, and prosperity.