(Manila) The Philippines will reopen its borders to vaccinated tourists and lift the quarantine requirement from February 10, authorities announced on Friday.
Posted at 10:05 a.m.
The move is meant to provide a breath of fresh air to the Philippines’ tourism sector, devastated by nearly two years of border closures and restricted travel within the country to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Non-vaccinated foreigners will be banned from entering the territory from February 16, said the spokesman for the presidency, Karlo Nograles, during a press briefing.
The already precarious situation of the tourist industry was aggravated by the passage in December of a typhoon which ravaged some very poor regions, destroying restaurants, bars and establishments in some popular destinations.
“The tourism sector can now recover and contribute greatly to employment, livelihoods and economic growth in the country,” Mr. Nograles said.
The Philippines announced in November a reopening of borders from 1er December, but this project was suspended with the appearance of the Omicron variant.
From February 10, travelers from 157 countries will be able to make short stays in the archipelago.
Fully vaccinated tourists from countries on this list will be required to present a negative drug test and will not be required to undergo quarantine upon arrival.
This list does not include China, yet the fastest growing tourism market, as well as Taiwan and India. But it includes the United States, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada and Great Britain, which are among the ten largest markets.
Tourism is an important driver of the Philippine economy. It represented nearly 13% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019, the year in which the archipelago welcomed more than 8 million visitors, according to official figures. This rate collapsed to 5.4% last year.
About half of the country’s 110 million people are fully immunized.
In total, more than 3.4 million cases have been recorded in the country, including more than 53,000 deaths, since the start of the pandemic.