Philippines to reopen borders for tourism next week

Starting February 10, the Philippines will allow vaccinated visitors to enter the country, government officials declared. The measure aims boosting the country’s tourism sector, that was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Asian nation in the western Pacific Ocean consisting of more than 7,000 islands had previously planned of reopening its borders at the end of 2021. The measure planned for last December was cancelled due to the fast spread of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Nevertheless, officials recently declared that the country will be available for visits starting the 10th of February, in an effort to boost tourism as well as jobs in the archipelago.

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat commented:

“(This) will contribute significantly to job restoration, primarily in tourism-dependent communities, and in the reopening of businesses that have earlier shut down,"

 

Moreover, as stated by Puyat, the Philippine government will eliminate quarantine regulations for foreign tourists starting opening day next week. Yet, tourists visiting must be vaccinated as well as test negative for Covid-19.

Philippines allows citizens from 150 countries to entry its territory visa-free. Tourists from countries such as the UK, Japan, Canada, Australia, Italy and the United States are all expected to visit the archipelago starting February 10, especially since tourist arrivals from top markets such as Japan, South Korea and China significantly dropped by 83% during 2021.

By opening its borders again, the Philippines joins Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia in similar strategy of recovering its economy markedly damaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Source: cnn.com