In 1999, the concept of ecotourism was introduced in the Philippines. It was operationalized through the Executive Order 111, s. 1999, which contains the formulation of an ecotourism framework known as National Ecotourism Strategy (NES). Consequently, the National Ecotourism Strategy and Action Plan (NESAP) 2013-2022 is the updated version of the NES, which is also consistent with the strategic directions of the country’s national and sectoral development plans for tourism, environment, and natural resources sectors. The NESAP notes that ecotourism statistics is limited. In such case, the study determined if local development in the municipalities of Kabayan and Bokod in Benguet Province could be attributed to ecotourism benefits measured in monetary and non-monetary terms.
The study tested the following hypotheses: (i) local socio-economic ecotourism benefits have increased with tourism; (ii) local income sources are compatible with ecotourism and socio-economic benefits of ecotourism on local livelihood have increased, and (iii) ecotourism benefits have influenced the conservation attitudes of stakeholders. Further, the research adopted the case study approach as well as temporal analysis design. These were complemented with key informant interviews, inter-stakeholder surveys and focus group discussions. Primary and secondary data were used to discuss ecotourism benefits for the food and accommodation, tour operations and transportation sub-sectors of ecotourism. In monetary terms, the actual Integrated protected Area Fund (IPAF) collected from the Mt. Pulag Natural Park (MPNP) from 2004-2014 was PHP 15.57 million wherein PHP 8.58 million was released for the MPNP Protected Area Office (PAO). Further, income estimations for the municipal local government units (MLGUs) and community members were provided based on validated accounts and assumptions.