THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is preparing new guidelines in the operation of scuba diving establishments, in keeping with new health and safety protocols while dealing with Covid-19.
Among the proposed measures, according to draft guidelines obtained by the BusinessMirror, is the operation of dive establishments at 50-percent capacity under a modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), and the accommodation of guests only from MGCQ area.
Aside from the usual health screening procedures, guests shall be required to bring their own set of scuba gear, instead of renting from the establishment. Resorts will also be required to provide defogging solutions, limit members of the group dives, prepare packed meals for boat diving, among others. It was learned, however, that a number of dive resorts are already operating under guidelines from their respective local government units (LGU).
After visiting a Batangas dive resort last week, a source who requested anonymity said, “They have very strict guidelines from the LGU. They need a permit to operate which they get after their resort has passed inspection. Once given a permit, they are only allowed to operate at 30-percent capacity and their guests are required to produce a travel permit and health certificate.”
The source added, she also had to show the results of her RT-PCR Covid test to the resort.
The Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD), an attached agency of the DOT, had sent out draft guidelines on dive establishments in July for comments, but due to the lack of responses, has yet to finalize it.
Diving is one the top products being developed under the National Tourism Development Plan 2016-2022, a road map to achieve DOT’s goals in the areas of revenue, arrivals, contribution to the economic growth, and employment.
Per the PCSSD, there are 177 accredited dive establishments and liveaboards, as well as 39 voluntary and 65 declared dive individuals in the country as of September 7, 2020.
“When the situation is better and with the easing of travel restrictions around the world, we hope to again showcase to divers not only our underwater jewels and biodiversity, but also our brand of culture and hospitality,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat in a news statement.
Best dive sites
This developed as the Philippines continued to reap recognition as among the best dive sites in the world, thus setting the stage for the country’s hosting of an international diving expo in October.
Just recently, the Marine Diving Magazine cited the Philippines as “a first pick for many diving lovers” in the Overseas Diving Category, garnering 814 out of the 3,572 total votes cast by its subscribers. The recognition was made at the Marine Diving Fair 2020 in Tokyo.
Also, popular travel guidebook publisher Lonely Planet cited Tubbataha, Palawan and Cebu as among “6 national parks around the world with surprisingly spectacular diving.”
In her piece, Lonely Planet writer Angela Ballard encouraged readers to visit Palawan dive spots like Amos Rock, Washing Machine and Black Rock to “experience 600 species of fish, 360 species of coral, 11 species of sharks and 13 species of dolphins and whales, along with manta rays, barracuda, nudibranchs, pipefish and seahorses.”
These recent awards and recognition “fortify our status as one of the premier diving sites in the world, and very timely with the scheduled staging of the second edition of the Philippine Dive Expo (Phidex) 2020,” said Romulo Puyat. Phidex will be held from October 9 to 11, 2020, via digital platform.
The Virtual Marketplace and Dive Travel Exchange (Travex) will be free of charge for all DOT and PCSSD-accredited establishments, while the Dive Conference and Panel Discussions will be livestreamed through social-media networking sites.
The Marketplace is a virtual exhibition floor that can accommodate over 100 exhibitors offering the latest deals, dive holiday packages and promos from different dive resorts, dive operators, dive shops, dive centers, dive equipment and underwater photography gear dealers, and dive training agencies.
Travex is a business-to-business (B2B) networking program via online video conferencing to be attended by at least 100 dive agents, dive operators and dive club leaders from established key and opportunity markets, such as the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, through algorithm-based matchmaking for business leads generation.
Image credits: Tieza web site