PTAA: Still no demand for travel abroad despite being allowed by gov't

The government may have already allowed Filipinos to go non-essential trips abroad but the Philippine Travel Agencies Association said the demand for such travel had yet to follow.

“While we are allowed to open, travel agents are very cautious because the demand for travel is not there yet. The interest is there for a lot of people to travel. But the willingness is another thing,” PTAA President Richie Tuaño told GMA News.

Tuaño said potential travelers would need to check with travel agents if the country they wanted to visit was accepting Filipino tourists. The would also need to know the destination country's travel requirements.

“It doesn’t mean that international borders are open. So if you are looking at travelling within Asia, wala pang country na nagbukas for Filipinos, non essential travel for Filipinos," Tuaño said.

"There are countries that are open for Filipinos like UAE in the Middle East, US but again US is dependent on which state you’re going. Merong mga nag-iimplement ng mga quarantine, meron namang wala," he added.

"Like more popularly for Filipinos is California. There’s no restriction in California that I’m aware of. If you go to Hawaii starting last October 15, they’ve implemented some test and quarantine. So iba-iba,” Tuaño said.

Tuaño said travel agencies could help travelers with requirements, including COVID-19 tests.

“That’s the kind of service that travel agencies provide. We provide a one-stop shop. So any requirements that would be required by the IATF for non essential travellers going on international travel, we will comply with that. we will provide that service as well to our customers," Tuaño said.

"Of course, we will not do it (antigen test) on our own but we will actually network with the accredited testing centers so that our clients can be provided with that service,” he added.

Potential travelers may check ptaa.org.ph for a list of their members. -NB, GMA News