Philippines The Philippines Department of Tourism (DOT) applauded the recent increase in foreign tourist arrivals in the country, which reached 202,700 on April 7.
Foreign arrivals from the United States topped the list with 43,744 visitors since the country reopened its borders to foreign leisure tourists in February, according to statistics obtained from the One Health Pass, which collects passenger and flight details.
Canada came in second with 9,618 visitors, followed by the United Kingdom with 9,315, South Korea with 8,440, and Australia with 8,212.
The newest results, according to DOT Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat, are a good indicator of the industry’s effectiveness in preparing for the new normal, following the prolonged reopening of borders and relaxing of travel restrictions.
“Our high vaccination rate among tourism workers and reported low cases around the country have helped restore the confidence of travelers to visit the Philippines during the summer season,” Puyat said in a news release on Friday.
“This continued growth shall aid our stakeholders, as well as the economy, in recovering from the effects caused by the pandemic,” she added.
Following the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF-EID) decision to allow the use of rapid antigen tests as entry requirements for travelers on the condition that they are administered and certified by a health care professional in a health care facility, laboratory, clinic, pharmacy, or other similar establishments for purification, the Philippines still has one of the simplest and most relaxed travel restrictions, according to Puyat.
Puyat also praised the IATF-decision EID’s to add Bangladesh, Mexico, Pakistan, and the Slovak Republic to the list of countries with acknowledged and recognized national Covid-19 vaccination certificates. Since February, we’ve gotten to 202k.
