Despite a US travel advisory warning against travel to the Philippines over COVID-19 concerns, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is looking forward to an increase in inbound and domestic tourism as it promotes safe travel around the country’s islands.
While the US advisory might dampen the interest of some travelers, the department said things have never been better, given the steady decline in COVID-19 cases and the stringent health protocols put in place by the government.
“While this will be the first time the Philippines is opening its doors for foreign leisure travelers since the start of the pandemic, the tourism industry has prepared for this development for close to two years. We look forward to welcoming our foreign visitors once again, especially with Metro Manila, the country’s main international gateway, placed under Alert Level 2,” the DOT said.
Tourism workers have been vaccinated and the observance of health and safety protocols at every destination remains a priority. Almost 100 percent of tourism workers in major tourism islands received the primary dose in 2021.
The DOT said it will be focusing its efforts on the visa-free countries under EO 408 that are identified as the key, strategic, and opportunity markets.
The US is a key market for the Philippines, alongside South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The department is pushing for a new and diverse set of branding promotions aimed at strategic markets comprised of Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, and Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, France, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Israel, Denmark, Poland, Austria, UAE, Turkey, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar are considered opportunity markets that need aggressive promotions.
The department previously announced the country’s readiness to accept fully-vaccinated foreign leisure travelers from visa-free countries beginning Feb. 10.
In addition, qualified leisure travelers are spared from observing quarantine days once they test negative on an RT-PCR test taken 48 hours prior to departure from their point of origin.
Following government guidelines, leisure travelers from visa-free countries will be allowed access, provided that their passports are valid for at least six months at the time of arrival, with outbound tickets for flights back to their country of origin or their next country of destination.
Leisure visitors must also carry proof of vaccination against COVID-19 that are recognized by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), such as certificates of vaccination issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and VaxCertPH of the Department of Health.
The Bureau of Immigration said starting Feb. 10, it will allow the entry of foreign visitors who are fully vaccinated from countries that are permitted visa-free travel, including the United States.
The BI issued the advisory even after the US Centers for Disease and Control Prevention discouraged travel to the Philippines due to the “very high level of COVID-19” in the country.
The US CDC added the Philippines on its list of countries under “Level Four: Very High,” its highest tier on its travel health notices, that advise “avoid travel to this destination.”
In an advisory, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said that in compliance with the resolution from the IATF, fully vaccinated nationals of non-visa-required countries will be allowed to enter the Philippines.
A total of 157 countries are considered visa free, including the United States of America, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada, UK, Malaysia, and Singapore.