Jocelyn Camalig, Jannin Calang, Danilo Balaysoche, Lilibeth Aragon, Puvaneswaran Kunasekaran, Lisa Tung

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to explore the local community’s interest and engagement in building a green tourism corridor in the province of Cavite and potentially being a part of it. Local community engagement is a crucial component of tourism development because it is essential to the long-term viability of this industry. Tourism development provides various beneficial environmental, economic, and socio-cultural changes to the local community’s way of living. The construction of tourism corridors has aided the revival of tourism destinations in several attractions with the help of community members. Further, the ability to connect tourism sites and infrastructures is a critical asset that tourist destinations and its different stakeholders must own. This research used a qualitative exploratory research design that explored the phenomenon and thematic analysis to draw interpretations from the participants, comprising of community members. Results show that the community needs more knowledge of the green tourism corridor concept. However, the development of the corridor or attractions in their area is accepted, and the intent to engage is positive if it will benefit them. Issues such as carrying capacity and pollution were the primary concerns along with the lack of assistance of the local government in preserving the community.

Keywords: Green tourism corridor, community participation, tourism development, sustainability, ecotourism, community-based tourism

Suggested citation: Camalig, J., Calang, J., Balaysoche, D., Aragon, L., Kunasekaran, P., & Tung, L. (2026). Community engagement in developing a green tourism corridor in Cavite, Philippines: Interest and insights. Asia-Pacific Journal of Innovation in Hospitality and Tourism, 15(1), 53–69.