TOURIST arrivals in the country breached the 100,000 mark as the country’s easy travel requirements make it the most attractive destination to visit in Southeast Asia.
Data provided by the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed tourist arrivals reached 102,031 from February 10 to March 16, 2022. Of this number, foreign travelers hit 57,741, outpacing balikbayan (homecoming Filipinos) tourists, which reached 44,290. The data was generated from the government’s One Health Pass, a form filled up by arrivals in the country.
In a news statement, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat reflected on the surge in tourists: “We are happy to see the gradual reopening of our borders finally bearing fruit as evidenced by the much higher foreign visitor arrivals. This will help safeguard the industry’s revival, providing more jobs and livelihoods to Filipinos in the tourism sector.”
Per market, tourists from the United States remained the top arrivals for the period in review, reaching 22,243. They were followed by Canadians at 4,852; the United Kingdom at 4,386; South Koreans at 3,748; Australians at 3,387; Vietnamese at 2,656; Germans at 1,976; and Japanese at 1,752. Other top markets were France with 1,039 tourists; Malaysia at 1,025; the Netherlands at 822; and Singapore at 820.
Romulo Puyat expects the growth in foreign tourist arrivals to further expand; the Department of Foreign Affairs will start processing visa applications for fully vaccinated tourists from non-visa free countries starting April 1, and tourists now have the option to take a laboratory-based antigen test 24 before departure from their point of origin.
When the Philippines reopened to foreign travelers on February 10, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) relaxed entry protocols for fully-vaccinated leisure travelers from visa-free countries and initially required them to submit a negative result from an RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours from their point of origin.
In comparison, other destinations in Southeast Asia still require visitors to quarantine or take Covid tests upon arrival.
“Our numbers are still far from pre-pandemic levels, but we are optimistic that this will continue to increase amid the sustained decline in Covid-19 cases in the country as well as the ongoing efforts of the Philippine government to improve its healthcare capacity,” said Romulo Puyat. “On the DOT’s part, we shall continue working with the IATF, our partners in the government, and the private sector in coming up with measures that will sustain this growth,” she stressed.
Sharing of hotel rooms now allowed
Meanwhile, the DOT reminded hotels and other accommodation establishments that in areas under Alert Levels 1, 2, and 3, guests from different households may now share rooms.
The agency issued the clarification after receiving a report that a 5-star hotel located in Boracay’s Station 1 refused to book a guest’s reservation, and insisted that DOT guidelines precluded them from allowing the shared-room booking, which was for a family living in different households. The hotel’s published rate on its basic room is about P13,800 a night. Boracay is under AL1.
Under Administrative Order number 2022-001 (Guidelines on the Operations of Hotels and Other Accommodation Establishments under the Alert Level Systems for Covid-19) issued on January 31, only guests from different households will be allowed to book single occupancy rooms in regular hotels in areas under AL4 and 5.
But for areas under AL1, 2, and 3, hotels are allowed to book guests “up to full room occupancy,” regardless of whether or not they are from the same or differed housesholds. (https://bit.ly/3N8I9DY)
In a news statement, the DOT chief said, “Any violation of these guidelines, which may include making any false, deceptive, or misleading claims for the purpose of soliciting business from guests and clients will subject the hotels to penalties and fines, depending on the gravity of offense.”