Bye, Vaccine Cards, Face Masks + Other Dropped Requirements at Tourism Spots

(SPOT.ph) Good news for tourists: You won't be required to wear face masks and provide proof of vaccination in tourism enterprises, the Department of Tourism said Sunday as it eases more pandemic protocols three years after COVID-19 first struck the country. 

This signals the administration's openness to further revive tourism in the country, one of the sectors strongly hit during the pandemic after countries closed its borders to stop the spread of infection, the DOT said in a statement on March 5.

Tourism enterprises refer to facilities related to tourism, such as: travel and tour services; tourist transport services for land, sea, and air; tour guides' adventure sports services like mountaineering, spelunking, and scuba diving; accommodation establishments like hotels, resorts, tourist inns; restaurants; shops; and recreational centers like spas, museums and galleries, theme parks, convention centers, and zoos.

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Tourism Enterprises Are Dropping These COVID-19 Protocols

Tourism accommodations won't need to report how many and how long guests will stay in establishments for leisure, the DOT said. It's one of the requirements implemented during the pandemic to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Tourism establishments can also take down its plastic and acrylic barriers and dividers. Signages, visual cues, and other instructions reminding tourists about mandatory protocols will also be removed, said DOT.

It will also stop issuing the Philippine Safety Seal and WTTC Safe Travels Stamps, proof that it complies with the government's stringent COVID-19 safety protocols.

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