Fully vaxed but sans COVID tests visitors welcome at 14 tourist spots
SOME 14 tourist destinations will now accept fully vaccinated visitors even without the COVID-19 RT-PCR and antigen tests.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) said included in the list are: Cebu Province; Lapu-Lapu City; Catbalogan City; Bohol; Iloilo City; Negros Occidental; Clark Freeport Zone (except areas under ECQ); Subic Bay Freeport Zone; Tarlac (for areas under ECQ and MECQ); Masbate Province; Southern Leyte; Tacloban City; Maasin City; and Misamis Oriental.
The DOT hailed the decision of local government units (LGUs) with jurisdiction over tourist destinations to scrap the COVID-19 swab test requirement for fully vaccinated guests.
Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said the DOT has been pushing for lesser restrictions and requirements, especially if the local travel destinations have high vaccination rates among its locals and tourism workers.
“We thank the LGUs for this development especially now that the number of tourists are slowly picking up. We hope that in the months ahead, we will achieve a hundred percent vaccination rate so we can push for a big move for tourism revival,” she said.
The DOT said Boracay Island still requires a negative RT-PCR swab test result for all allowed tourists, including those from the National Capital Region (NCR), except for tourists within Panay Island, including Guimaras Province.
