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BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines – The city’s travel corridor with the Ilocos region has expanded to include the rest of Luzon, according to Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who met with Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat on Saturday. and the doctors of the Interinstitutional Task. Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases here.
But only 200 tourists from Luzon’s provinces will be able to visit the city on any given day, starting October 23.
“We cannot remain risk-averse for so long,” Magalong said to explain why Baguio had eased some movement restrictions to allow businesses, including tourism-oriented establishments, to gradually recover.
The city’s tourism industry had absorbed up to P1.6 billion in lost revenue in the past seven months since the annual Baguio Flower Festival was canceled in February.
The city government also expected a P100 million drop in taxes as businesses closed during the Luzon shutdown after the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic broke out in the country in March. Many local entrepreneurs have been evaluating whether they can resume full operations by December, the start of the peak tourism season in Baguio.
Less restrictive
Last week, Magalong said the city government had been studying less restrictive guidelines for tourists participating in the “Ridge and Reef” travel program, which involves Baguio and the provinces of Pangasinan, La Unión, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos North. Under the program, residents can visit beaches and other popular destinations in the city and provinces of the Ilocos region to boost tourism in their areas.
As of October 1, only a handful of 200 tourists requesting strictly regulated leisure trips had visited the city. Part of the problem may be the requirement that visitors sign up for tour packages that will dictate their movement in the city.
—Vincent Cabreza
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