Thesis, Undergraduate (B.S. Agribusiness Economics)--University of the Philippines, Mindanao

Agritourism of farm tourism is a booming sector and a niche market both for the agriculture and tourism sector. It is proven to ensure diversified income for farmers in many countries. However, the potential of farm tourism is not yet well-known in the Philippines. In addition, farmers are unaware of consumers' preferred attributes for agritourism. Thus, this study was conducted to assess preference for agritourism farms in Davao City using a conjoint methodology. Specifically, it aims to identify the most preferred combination of agritourism farm attributes for various tourists. The attributes examined were price of admission, meal inclusion, safety and security, amenities, direct selling of fresh produce, and distance from the city. A conjoint analysis of 300 respondents' response appeared that, for the total sample, price was the most important attribute, preferably the highest price. The other attributes in order of decreasing relative importance were amenities, safety and security, meal inclusion, direct selling of fresh produce, and distance from the city. The total sample's ideal attribute combination is 20 km distance from the city, has direct selling of fresh products, visibility of first aid facilities and emergency plans, agrifarm amenity, meals included for a total price of P400-P550. In assessing the preferences of the total sample would benefit farmers as it provide useful information on how to develop their own farms to cater tourists' visitation. It is recommended to include attributes that were not considered in this study that could perhaps have some importance to tourists.