The Department of Tourism said Tuesday it accredited more than 7,200 hotels, resorts and other accommodation establishments to operate under different quarantine classifications and serve different types of travelers, depending on their location and purpose.
“Not only will a certificate of authority to operate or a provisional CAO from DOT indicate the allowable operation of accommodation establishments, it likewise adds to guests’ confidence, knowing that these establishments have been inspected and are compliant with our protocols that follow globally-recognized health and safety standards. We are happy to see the numbers go up as more tourism destinations reopen for domestic travelers,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
She said the regions with the highest number of hotels and resorts that received CAOs and PCAOs from the DOT are Region 4-A with 1,303, Region 3 with 830 and Region 1 with 806.
The DOT has been issuing CAOS and PCAOs since the start of quarantine restrictions in March to allow establishments to accommodate repatriated overseas Filipino workers, essential workers and foreign and domestic tourists stranded because of travel restrictions.
Meanwhile, inbound travel to the Philippines for tourism remains restricted, according to the DOT.
Puyat said the DOT would continue its coordination with national government agencies under the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, local government units and stakeholders to safely reopen more destinations for domestic tourism and steer the industry to recovery.
“The DOT’s focus is to jumpstart domestic tourism first. We will continue our thorough inspection of the health and safety protocols in tourism establishments, so when non-essential travel among Filipinos and even inbound travel for leisure among foreign visitors are allowed, these will be ready,” Puyat said.
Puyat encouraged accommodation and other tourism-related establishments to apply for DOT accreditation which remains free-of-charge and can now be done online through an Online Accreditation System that the agency launched in September.