7,051 tourist arrivals amid eased foreigner quarantine requirements –DOT

A total of 7,051 foreign and Filipino tourists arrived in the Philippines since the no-quarantine policy for fully vaccinated foreign travelers from visa-free countries was implemented amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Tourism said on Monday.

In an interview on ANC, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said that of the 7,051 arrivals, 45% were balikbayans.

These balikbayans were considered tourists as they have foreign passports.

“I was quite surprised when we reopened February 10. I thought that only a few would come. But then I was so surprised that a lot came,” she said.

Puyat noted that of the international travelers, the top arrivals were from the United States, followed by Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Korea.

Reasons for visiting the Philippines were varied, from wanting to help typhoon victims to vlogging. There were a significant number of business travelers, while others came to reunite with families and loved ones.

The country opened its borders to business and leisure travelers on February 10, two years since the pandemic hit.

Only fully vaccinated foreign nationals were allowed entry, subject to the presentation of required documents as set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).

Based on IATF Resolution 160-B, once the foreign nationals, including former Filipino citizens with Balikbayan privileges, are admitted in the country, “they are no longer required to observe facility-based quarantine but shall self-monitor for any sign or symptom for seven days with the first day being the date of arrival. However, they are required to report to the LGU of their destination should they manifest any symptoms.”

Meanwhile, the no-quarantine policy for fully vaccinated returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs), whether facility-based or home, became effective starting February 1.

About 20,000 ROFs have returned home from February 1 to 10, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) noted.

Puyat said that while she never stopped courting foreign nationals to visit the Philippines, she would continue to do so after quarantine requirements both for international and local travelers were eased.

“The reopening of our borders means that we are going back to normal,” she added.

In 2019, the DOT chief said that tourism contribution to the Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) was at 12.8%. Due to the pandemic, it dropped to 5.4%.

In terms of employment, over 5.7 million people were employed in the tourism sector in 2019, which later shrunk by 1.1 million because of the viral disease. — DVM, GMA News