Oslob town has become a prime tourism destination in Cebu because of its whale shark watching activities. | CDND file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – After two years, Cebu is set to welcome foreign tourists again.
The Capitol on Monday, February 7, met with travel and tourism stakeholders, including Consul Generals from South Korea, Japan, and China to discuss the reopening of the country’s borders to fully vaccinated tourists starting this February 10.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said she called the meeting so they can start laying down policies for the entry of foreign tourists.
Garcia also said that she will release a memorandum soon to serve as guideline.
“This is in order to map out our own protocols here. And I’ll come up with a memorandum,” Garcia told reporters in a press interview.
Among those present at Monday’s gathering were Consuls Toshihide Kawasaki (Japan), Jia Li (China), and Uhm Won Jae (South Korea).
China, Japan, and South Korea are Cebu’s top markets when it comes to foreign arrivals.
Also present in the meeting were representatives from the Central Visayas offices of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Health (DOH), the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), Hotel Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC), airline companies, and tour operators.
International travels were put to a grinding halt in 2020 when COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic and countries imposed lockdowns.
This February 10, the Philippines is set to ease its border controls and welcome back tourists from non-visa countries.
However, the national government still requires unvaccinated individuals to undergo the mandatory, facility-based quarantine.
Fully vaccinated tourists, on the other hand, can skip this stage.
But aside from the proof of their vaccination status, they will also have to present negative RT-PCR results, indicating they were not infected at least 48 hours prior to their arrival.
Offering Vaccination to Unvaccinated Individuals
For her part, Garcia said, she will abide by most of the recommendations from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF).
But the Capitol, she said, is mulling to introduce new policies such as offering a single-jab COVID-19 vaccine to unvaccinated tourists.
“Naay suggestion gani nga katong Category B and C, i-quarantine man, mag swab-upon-arrival then quarantine. Unya tagaan ug choice: if you want to take the single jab, mu-vaccinate ta. That’s a choice of course. We will make it available. Single-jab vaccine lang sa,” added Garcia.
Cebu is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, playing host to various famous activities including canyoneering, diving, and whale-shark watching.
Based on the 2019 figures from DOT, the island province attracted approximately 1.7 million foreign tourists.
DOT even ranked Cebu, including the three large cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu, as the most visited places that year.
Tourism is also considered one of its biggest industries here.
“Because lahi man gud ang Cebu sa uban, we have an international airport here and sa kadaghanan sa atong LGUs (local government units), tourism man gyud based ang economy. And dependent on the foreign market o ang atong foreign tourists. So ingon ko nga if dili ni nato himoong desisyon mao ra gihapon nga magpili pili,” said Garcia.
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/ dcb