Cebu Province to simplify requirements for domestic tourists

One of the tourist attractions in Cebu is the Bojo river cruise in Aloguinsan, Cebu. | Contributed Photo/ Cebu Provincial Tourism Office

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu Province will be simplifying its requirements for domestic tourists.

Cebu Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced on February 18, 2021, that she would be releasing an executive order that would allow domestic tourists to enter Cebu Province using only a qualified medical certificate.

Garcia said that Cebu had to open for tourists in order to revive the economy, and to encourage tourists would entail removing the inconveniences that they had to go through to come here.

Read: Garcia: Don’t mess with Cebuanos

After all, she said the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation in Cebu was manageable and health protocols were set in “established places” for responding to the outbreak.

The governor said Cebu had been moving forward from the pandemic.

Garcia met with the tourism stakeholders and the hotels, resorts, touring companies, and airline companies on Friday, February 18, 2021, and all of them agreed that the only way to begin reviving the industry would be to allow tourists an easier way to enter Cebu.

“Kinahanglan ablihan na ang Cebu to domestic tourism. I will be releasing an Executive Order (EO) next week nga ang requirements nalang para makasulod sa Probinsya sa Sugbo kay valid medical certificate,” said the governor.

(Cebu domestic tourism should be opened already. I will be releasing an Executive Order (EO) next week where the requirements needed to enter Cebu Province will only be a valid medical certificate.)

Watch: Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on COVID-19, domestic tourism

The EO would contain the protocols on tourists from booking of an airline or shipping line ticket to Cebu to their arrival, stay, and eventual departure.

Garcia said these protocols would be applicable for any part of Cebu Province.

Furthermore, the touring companies and airline companies promised to launch promos for the domestic tourists so they could avail of packages for their stay and tour in Cebu.

The move is in anticipation that many Filipinos may not be willing to splurge on their trips after economically suffering through a long quarantine in 2020.

However, tourists are still concerned that even with the restrictions in entry for Cebu has been relaxed, their own provinces and towns may still require more restrictions upon their return such as a 14-day quarantine.

With this, the governor said she was hoping that when Cebu would open its doors to more tourists, the other provinces would also show their support by relaxing restrictions for their residents’ reentry to their provinces. /dbs

Read: Garcia: Cebu Province in ‘good’ shape amid COVID-19 rise