Foreign Tourists Welcome to PH As Long As They Are Vaccinated

by Alexa Villano
February 10, 2022

The country has granted entry to foreign tourists to boost the country’s economy as it slowly eases COVID-19 restrictions

After two years of no traveling, there’s some good news. Philippine government officials on Thursday, February 10 confirmed that foreign tourists can now enter the country as leisure travelers. There’s one condition – they have to be vaccinated.

During a press briefing, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said everyone is welcome to visit but must adhere to the protocols.

“If everybody complies with all the minimum health and safety protocols po natin, maging ang mga turista… maa-assure po natin na hindi ito magiging sanhi ng spike or surge in CO VID-19,” he said.

(If everybody complies with all the minimum health and safety protocols even the tourists we can assure that this will not cause a spike or surge in COVID-19.)

Welcoming foreign tourists from 150 visa-free countries

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, who was also at the briefing, said that they have long been prepared to implement the protocols made by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). She said that a lot of foreign tourists really waited for February 10, the date they were allowed to enter.

“Talagang naghintay sila ng Feb. 10 para lang makarating na rito,” she said. (They really waited for February 10 to come here.)

Tourism to revive the economy

In a statement last Tuesday, February 8, Puyat said that the reopening of the country is a start to reviving the economy that was hit by the pandemic.

“Allowing the entry of these international travelers is a welcome development that will lead to growth in the travel and tourism sector, the restoration of lost jobs, the generation of much-needed revenue for tourism-related enterprises, tourism communities, and the government, plus many other benefits that will be felt by the entire tourism value chain,” Puyat said.

Vaccination around the country is still ongoing. Last February 7, children ages 5-11 years old started getting their first jabs of the vaccine.

The country is currently under Alert Level 2.