LocationsBaguio City advances circular tourism to reduce waste, manage growth, and build resilience
April 12, 2026
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong shares his insights at the Baguio Circular Tourism Summit, where government, businesses, and communities came together to explore practical solutions for reducing waste, strengthening local livelihoods, and building a more resilient and sustainable future.
Baguio City, Philippines – At a time of increasing global uncertainty, Baguio City is taking a decisive step toward a more resilient and sustainable future through the Baguio Circular Tourism Summit.
Tourism remains a cornerstone of Baguio’s economy and identity. Yet it also contributes significantly to growing waste volumes and resource pressures, underscoring the urgency of building systems that are more resource-efficient, locally anchored, and less vulnerable to external shocks.
Themed “Baguio Weave: Weaving a Circular Tourism Ecosystem,” the two-day Summit brought together government, businesses, MSMEs, development partners, and communities to accelerate the transition toward a circular tourism economy. Led by the Baguio City Government, the Summit was supported by the United Nations Development Programme through the Global Plastics Innovation Programme (GPIP-II) and the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership, with support from the Government of Japan and the European Union, respectively.
“This event comes at a critical time when destinations around the world are rethinking how tourism can grow without compromising the environment that sustains it. Circular tourism offers us clear and hopeful pathforward. These conversations are important as they allow us to learn from each other, challenge old systems, create solutions that are practical and sustainable,” said Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
Circular tourism provides a practical approach to transition from a linear “take-make-waste” model to one that prioritizes resource efficiency, reuse, local value creation and responsible consumption. This enables the sector to lower costs, reduce environmental impact, and strengthen resilience to energy and economic shocks, while supporting better management of visitor flows and aligning tourism with the city’s capacity.
Participants of the Baguio Circular Tourism Summit explored circular solutions including plastic-free products, compostable packaging, and incentive-based waste recovery systems.
Baguio’s circular transition is anchored on Pansa-nopen Tayo, a framework integrating indigenous wisdom with modern governance, embedding circularity across sectors and aligning local action with national sustainability goals.
Framing tourism as a strategic entry point for transformation, the discussions focused on moving beyond waste management toward upstream solutions, inviting participants to rethink design, consumption, and business models. The Summit explored circular economy principles; tourism as a high-impact sector capable of influencing supply chains and consumer behavior; stewardship-based tourism models that reinvest in ecosystem restoration; and policy reforms through Baguio City’s proposed Sustainable Tourism Code and Tourism Development Plan.
“Baguio City is a strong partner of UNDP; and its leadership in advancing circular economy comes at a critical time. The challenge is no longer just attracting visitors but managing a nature-positive tourism within the city’s limits. Circular tourism enables businesses to reduce costs, improve resource efficiency, and build resilience while creating opportunities for local communities. It demonstrates how tourism can serve as a strategic lever for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and accelerate local economic development,” emphasized Edwine Carrié, UNDP Philippines Deputy Resident Representative.
Over the course of the Summit, participants began working on their priority actions through their Circular Tourism Action Plans, supported by the Circular Tourism Self-Assessment and Circular Solutions Guide. Complementing this, Mayor Magalong led a dedicated Economic Continuity Planning Workshop to identify strategies to manage risks related to rising energy and fuel costs, strengthen operational resilience, and align circular practices with long-term economic stability.
Multi-sectoral panel discussions reinforced the importance of aligning local efforts for circular tourism with national frameworks, strengthening environmental regulation, integrating circularity into education and workforce development, and leveraging Baguio’s creative economy as a driver of innovation. These highlighted the need for incentives and financing, data-driven planning, and stronger community-led stewardship to sustain the transition.
Various establishments shared their experiences and developed possible solutions from refill systems and zero-waste kitchens to farm-to-table supply chains and food waste circularity technologies. Circular solutions providers showcased innovations including plastic-free products, compostable packaging, and incentive-based waste recovery systems. Meanwhile, business matching, problem-solution roundtables, and innovation sessions supported participants in generating ideas for scalable circular enterprises and opportunities for collaboration.
“The most non-negotiable part of this Summit is the presence of all tourism stakeholders who are taking that first step toward this big change. It is the right time for us to embark on our transition, and it will take all of us to be able to do this for our city,” said Architect Donna Tabangin, Baguio City Planning, Development and Sustainability Coordinator.
Engineer Aloysius Mapalo, Baguio City Acting Tourism Officer, added: “This is the community spirit coming out to tell us that we would all like to help each other and help the city achieve circular tourism. We have seen it during the pandemic, we were the very first city to have a resilience and recovery plan, and that plan came out from the tourism stakeholders supporting the city government help our constituents. Now,we are at it again.”
The Summit signals a broader shift in how tourism is understood and managed in Baguio City – from a model focused on volume to one centered on efficiency, resilience, and value creation; ultimately positioningBaguio as a national model for circular tourism. [E]
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