WASHINGTON’S latest travel advisory against the Philippines will likely have little impact on its citizens, who have been patiently waiting to travel to the Philippines, said a tourism leader. The country recently decided to reopen to fully vaccinated foreign travelers from visa-free countries, which includes the United States, starting February 10.
In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Jose C. Clemente III, president of the 50-year-old Rajah Tours Philippines, said, “In recent years, you take the travel advisory in consideration, but not as much before, when we (Philippines) result in zero arrivals.” He added, none of his overseas clients have reached out to him about the travel advisory. “Honestly, I don’t anticipate any questions about it. The way I see it, people are so hungry to travel right now… sure they will take it into consideration, but it won’t be a deal breaker.”
Clemente said he just regularly sends informs his clients about the latest case bulletins issued by the Department of Health. He assumes because most of them are already vaccinated, or have gotten sick, any US advisory won’t impact on their travel plans.
The US State Department issued a Level 4 travel advisory on January 31, urging its citizens not to travel to the Philippines due to the recent surge in Covid cases. It also advises to “exercise increased caution due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping,” in Sulu, Marawi City, and other areas in Mindanao. Level 4 is the highest travel advisory of the government agency.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat failed to respond to this paper’s several requests for a comment on the US travel advisory. Instead, the Department of Tourism issued a news statement reiterating that the country was ready to accept foreign visitors as tourism workers have already been fully vaccinated. The agency said it will be focusing its efforts on key markets such as South Korea, Japan, the United States, Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany and Hong Kong.
No more RT-PCR tests for Boracay travelers
Clemente said when the Philippines announced its reopening to foreign tourists, his clients “were extremely happy. We’ve already been receiving inquiries from the US. Our San Francisco office is entertaining a booking from a group of 30, who already want to come. So overall, the announcement had a positive effect.”
He stressed that the bulk of foreign tourists will likely travel to the Philippines during the Winter Season, but “60-70 percent [of my clients] are already firm to come in April, May, June; they were already asking about [our company’s] deposit policies.”
Meanwhile, the Aklan government is no longer requiring fully vaccinated visitors to submit a negative RT-PCR result when traveling to Boracay Island, as the country prepares to receive foreign visitors. Prior to the pandemic, in 2019, some 1 million foreign tourists visited Boracay, making it the second top tourist destination in the country after Cebu.
According to Executive Order 001 dated February 1, 2022, Aklan Gov. Florecencio T. Miraflores, however, kept the province’s requirement for tourists, both local and foreign, to fill out an online health declaration card, and secure a QR code. In the past, the QR code has been a source of complaints by Boracay visitors due to the LGU’s delay in processing their requests.
Randy Salvador, general manager of Coast Boracay, said the island “is ready to receive foreign visitors. “The vaccination rate for tourists workers and residents is more than the required herd immunity already. As long as the local government implements the minimum health standards and business establishments follow, I am confident there will be no more surge [in Covid cases].”
77% of residents vaxxed
In late December until January, droves of tourists and island residents fell ill with Covid-19, which was assumed to be the Omicron variant. According to data from the Malay government, fully vaccinated residents on Boracay reached 26,842 as of January 31, representing some 77 percent of its population. Of the fully vaccinated, 17,866 are tourism workers.
Salvador welcomed the ease in travel restrictions into the island: “It’s an advantage for stakeholders and the local community, whose livelihood depends on tourism. The RT-PCR requirement is not just expensive but a hassle for travelers.
As per Miraflores’s memo, fully vaccinated foreign tourists need to upload a copy of their passport identification page, and any proof of their vaccination such as a Philippines-recognized vaccination certificate, the World Health Organization-issued international certificate of vaccination and prophylaxis (Carte Jeune), or their home country’s vaccination card.
Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated visitors will have to take an RT-PCR test within 72 hours of the date of travel, and will have to submit a negative result; a confirmed hotel booking slip; and round-trip flight details. Parents of children below 12 years of age have to fill up certificate also on the Aklan LGU page.