BORACAY- Boracay Island will see foreign tourists return at a faster rate after the country relaxed its travel restrictions from more than 150 countries that don’t need visas to enter the Philippines.
Starting February 10, 2022, fully vaccinated foreign leisure tourists will not have to quarantine but must present a negative result of a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test taken 48 hours before departure from point of origin.
The move will allow travelers who have received their second coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shot without the need to quarantine upon arrival.
The arriving tourists from non-visa countries including South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, France, Malaysia, Australia, Finland, Thailand, United Kingdom of Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Canada, Belgium, Indonesia, Switzerland, Myanmar, Ireland, Norway, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and the United States of America are allowed to enter the Philippines without a visa for a period of stay for 30 days or less.
Domestic travelers to Boracay Island have topped over 30,000 in January alone. More than 113,000 domestic tourists also chose to spend their holidays in Boracay Island in December.
Since the pandemic, the government barred the entry of international tourists in response to the surge of infections. Pandemic-related travel restrictions have plunged the tourism industry of Boracay Island into crisis due to the lack of foreign tourists.
The government has prioritized Boracay Island for vaccinations to restart the tourism and economy.
“By January, we started doing already the booster program. We didn’t just vaccinate hotel employees, tour operators, and dive instructors, we also included the residents. Everyone who lives in the destination is included in the vaccine program,” tourism Chief Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
Aklan’s rolling 7-day average of new Covid-19 cases rose to 103, up from two cases at the start of the year. Currently, 82 percent of the eligible population is vaccinated with at least one dose under the current health guidelines. /PN
