The Philippines is hopeful about gradual reopening in tourism

Published on : Tuesday, December 22, 2020

The natural beauty of the Philippines and the intrinsic diversity of its points of interest in terms of aesthetic, ecological and historical value, the tourism sector has always been one of the strongest contributors to both social and economic progress of the country. In years before, tourism contributed 12.7 per cent of the Philippines’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) employing 13.5 per cent of its total workforce, accounting for 5.71 million jobs in total.

However, with travel bans imposed around the world and localized quarantines by regional and local governments, the Philippines tourism is one of the industries highly affected by Covid-19. The pandemic has been quite a blow to the nation, but given how the virus cases are beginning to go down, Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat of the Department of Tourism (DOT) is hopeful regarding gradually reopening of the country to both domestic and foreign tourists. Various major local destinations have already reopened for local visitors, although under strict protocols for health and safety of tourists.

The current roster includes Boracay, Baguio, the Ilocos and Pangasinan region, Bohol and El Nido in Palawan. The DOT hopes that, over the next several weeks, other provincial destinations will follow suit.