Marisa Eslao-Pamo
Philippines
Marisa P. Eslao-Pamo is an early-career Assistant Professor at the University of the Philippines Asian Institute of Tourism (UP AIT), where she teaches courses in tourism planning and development. She earned her Master’s degree in Tourism Development and Management at UP AIT, with her thesis focusing on agritourism business models in the Philippines as a strategy for rural development.
Her research interests include agritourism, gender in tourism, and community-based tourism, reflecting her commitment to inclusive and sustainable rural tourism practices. Beyond the academe, she has served as a consultant in drafting tourism development plans for local governments, including the Agritourism Development component of the 2025–2035 Tourism Development Plan of Quezon Province, a major coconut-producing area of the Philippines.
Through her teaching, research, and consultancy work, she seeks to bridge tourism and agriculture to empower rural communities, revive young Filipinos’ interest in farming, promote cultural heritage, and advance regenerative practices that strengthen the country’s food security and self-sufficiency. She hopes to contribute to global conversations on agritourism by sharing insights from the Philippine and Southeast Asian contexts.