The Philippines relaxing travel protocols after two years

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

After two years of tough tourism restrictions, the Philippines is relaxing travel protocols although it falls behind other Southeast Asian countries regarding vaccination. This easing of protocols is for reviving the travel and leisure sector, which accounted for 12.8% of the Philippines’ economic output before the pandemic.

Boracay Islands hosted record number of tourists during Easter, pampering people’s pent up desire for travel. Boracay, which according to Condé Nast Traveler is among the world’s best islands for beaches, witnessed more than 21,000 tourists on April 14 and 15, surpassing the normally allowed daily limit of 19,215.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said that the environment and local government departments must “address this concern and prevent similar incidents.” Along with that, health and safety protocols need to be observed, as Boracay remains under the lowest Covid alert level.

Boracay, having powdery white sand, suffered longer compared to other resort islands. In 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte closed Boracay for restoration works, and reopened later that year with restrictions like 19,000 tourists at any given time.

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