DOT lists destinations without swab testing requirement
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) yesterday released the updated list of domestic destinations that have waived the COVID-19 test requirement for fully vaccinated visitors.
In a statement, the DOT said this is an indication that the country’s tourism industry is slowly getting back on its feet.
Among the popular destinations include Baguio, Bohol, Cebu, Clark, Subic, and, starting on November 16, Boracay Island and Guimaras.
In lieu of the RT-PCR test, these destinations require only vaccination cards issued by the Department of Health (DOH) or the local government unit (LGU) where the vaccination was administered.
“With the lifting of the testing requirements for fully vaccinated visitors to these destinations, travel has become more affordable and accessible for domestic tourists, especially with coming holiday season,” Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said.
However, she reminded tourists to observe minimum health and safety protocols when traveling.
“As we expect more tourists going to Boracay Island, and other destinations that have eased travel requirements for fully vaccinated individuals in the coming weeks, we continue to remind travelers to observe minimum health and safety protocols when visiting the spots,” added the tourism chief.
Aside from travelers, Puyat also issued a reminder to tourism businesses, workers, and other stakeholders not to be complacent with the easing of domestic travel in order to prevent COVID-19 cases from increasing–an event that could halt the country’s tourism industry recovery.
“Seeing how the reopening of tourism all over the country is helping Filipinos return to their jobs, we cannot afford a new surge of COVID-19 infections and a return to the restrictions imposed by a stricter quarantine. Let us do our individual parts to ensure that there will be no outbreaks in our destinations,” she said.
She shared that in Boracay Island alone, the vaccination rate among tourism workers reached 100.2 percent for those who have received the first dose, which means more workers—who were not included in the DOT’s initial target—are now able to return to their jobs.
