Domestic airlines foresee an increase in international tourist arrival with the removal of the vaccine certificate requirement for inbound foreign travelers.
In the same breath, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said that 2023 Bar examinees are no longer required to present negative COVID-19 test results.
“We welcome this development that further eases travel to the Philippines and helps boost inbound tourist traffic. We look forward to serving more tourist and business travelers on both our international and domestic travel sectors,” Philippine Airlines (PAL) spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said.
“We will continue to work on enhancing the passenger experience through digital transformation and fleet expansion,” she added.
Department of Health (DOH) Circular 2023-06 which covers all airports and seaports in the country states that “all arriving international travelers are accepted regardless of their vaccination status”.
This circular followed the Transportation Department’s earlier announcement on the scrapping of face masks for public transportation.
“Since the pandemic, the vaccine certificate has been the most essential travel requirement for inbound tourists. The lifting of this travel requirement is a major step towards making travel more seamless and will definitely encourage travelers, regardless of vaccination status, to experience the Philippines,” Steve Dailisan, AirAsia Philippines head for Communications and Public Affairs said.
“This is also very timely now that we are a few days away from welcoming the so-called “ber” months, the usual peak of travel in the Philippines,” he added.
AirAsia Philippines’ marketing analytics team noted the period spanning January 1 to August 13, 2023, posted Koreans as the leading nationality among visitors, comprising 13 percent. They were followed by the Japanese at seven percent, Chinese at six percent, Taiwanese at three percent, and a mixture of Americans and other nationalities constituting 22 percent. Noteworthy destinations during this period included Cebu, Caticlan (Boracay), Davao, Iloilo, and Tacloban.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) has set a target of 4.8 million international tourist arrivals for 2023. The World’s Best Low-Cost Airline aims to contribute to this target through its best services backed by best value deals for flights and other travel-led services on the airasia Superapp.
“Examinees are not required to present negative RT-PCR or antigen test results as a prerequisite for entry into their LTC,” the SC through the Office of the 2023 Bar chair said, in the latest Bar Bulletin No. 6-2023.
“While also not required, examinees are highly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” it stressed.
Nonetheless, the SC said examinees who manifest symptoms during the security process or during the examinations will be assessed by the medical staff.
The examinees may be placed in isolated testing rooms, where they will be allowed to continue taking the test.
Under the SC guidelines, examinees need to bring one laptop installed with Examplify Version 3.3, a printed copy of the notice of admission, a printed copy of the accomplished Honor Code, Health Liability Waiver, and Other Undertakings for the 2023 Bar Examinee, and packed lunch food and eating utensils.
“An examinee who fails to bring any of the foregoing items may be barred entry to their LTC,” the Court said.
The 2023 Bar exams will be held in September.