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MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Tourism (DOT) has welcomed Baguio City’s decision to accept guests and tourists once again starting October 22, noting that the new influx of visitors will help the local government catalyze its economic recovery.
Baguio’s opening to tourists was announced during the DOT-Baguio Post-Opening Assessment conducted on Saturday with Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Representative Mark Go, and tourism stakeholders from the city.
The new health and safety measures will be finalized in conjunction with the Technical Working Group of the Interagency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
Puyat said a total of 200 visitors per day will be allowed from October 22 to ensure proper management.
The Baguio Visitor and Travel Assistance or VIS.ITA digital platform has already received 2,000 registrations and some 200 travel requests since its launch on September 22.
Although visitors looking to book their itineraries through a DOT-accredited travel agency is optional, guests must still book at a DOT-accredited lodging establishment that has received a certifying authority to operate.
“Now that we have a real visitor count, the city has an important benchmark and valuable feedback on how to move forward from this initial opening period,” said Puyat.
He added that there has been an increase in Baguio’s capacity in terms of health care systems and isolation centers, as well as the addition of trained contact trackers and the creation of a new classification center for tourists at the CAP Convention Center.
“Another positive development can be attributed to the pilot study for antigen testing, which is now in its final stages and may pave the way for its use in screening potential visitors,” said Puyat.
“Since this method is cheaper than RT-PCR, the gold standard for COVID testing, which allows the use of antigen testing, it is sure to be welcomed by visitors.”
/ MUF
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