BI expects more tourists with easing of travel requirements

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday said that it is expecting more visitors to the Philippines after the Inter-Agency Task Force for COVID-19 response approved the scrapping of travel requirements.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the lifting of the negative RT-PCR requirement for arriving passengers who have received their full COVID-19 vaccine and at least one booster shot will encourage more travelers to visit the country.

“With this development, travel will be easier in the new normal,” Morente said. “We hope that this will boost the number of international arrivals in the next few months.”

According to Morente, arrivals have increased to around 15,000 per day since February but have plateaued at the tail end of summer.

“We are hoping that little by little, the country’s international tourism sector can once again flourish as we move towards the new normal,” he said.

The IATF has advised that effective May 30, fully vaccinated foreign nationals with booster shots are exempted from the negative RT-PCR test requirement.

Also exempted are fully vaccinated children aged 12 to 17, and those aged below 12, regardless of vaccination status. -- Mel Matthew Doctor/BAP, GMA News