Boracay open to guests from Western Visayas
Published Jun 15, 2020 12:00 am
By Hanah Tabios
Expect a “contactless” Boracay experience on its resumption of domestic tourism, according to Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, as the island is ready to take in guests from the Western Visayas region beginning Tuesday (June 16) after months of closure due to COVID-19.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo- Puyat (ALBERT GARCIA / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
In an interview with Manila Bulletin, Puyat said the “no hotel reservation, no entry policy” remains in effect, but tourists will now be required to fill out the digital health declaration form through the Aklan Border Control Management Application prior to the entry in Caticlan airport.
This will be sent by the tourist’s hotel of choice, along with the receipt of the accommodation reservation and a QR code, as a move to strengthen the COVID-19 contact tracing efforts of the local government of Aklan that has jurisdiction over the area.
“So yung telepono mo . Wala ka ng hahawakan idadaan mo nalang sa system nila at makakapasok ka na . Iiscan na nila yung code (You will use your phone. You will no longer touch anything because you just have to go through their system to get inside the hotel. They will scan the code),” she said.
The scanned QR code, Puyat said, would include pertinent information regarding the check-in details, including the list of personnel who are on duty and whom the tourists could ask for help in case COVID-19 symptoms would manifest after.
She said during the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) inspection last Friday, all accommodation establishments have been gearing up for the island’s reopening, with “contactless” transaction and service are now in place.
During the pre-COVID phase, Boracay has 390 DOT-accredited establishments, 92 are applying for accreditation, while three tourism establishments have already been accredited recently, Puyat said.
If before, “welcome drinks” are given, now, every hotel in the island will rather provide guests with a face mask, a pack of anti-bacterial wipes, and hand sanitizer.
“Lahat nakafaceshield at nakamask. Makikita mo pa rin iba pa rin ang Filipino brand of COVID (All are wearing face shields and face masks. You will see that that Filipino brand of COVID is still different,” she said in a separate interview aired over DZBB.
But despite the contactless interaction, Puyat assured that the spirit of the DOT’s brand campaign “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” is still there, while taking safety for all on top of their priority.
To recall, the island itself remains COVID-free for over a month now, hence, the decision of the BIATF to reopen the world-famous tourist destination to Western Visayas locals for a “trial period.”
They lauded the efforts of the Aklan and Malay LGUs for their aggressive efforts to keep the island safe from the dreaded coronavirus disease.
She said if the reopening would be successful, the local officials of Aklan and Malay town will later decide on the next steps of the resumption of tourism activities in Boracay, but still with the guidance of BIATF.
Meanwhile, she said that despite the easement in quarantine protocols, the local governments of Bohol and El Nido in Palawan want to settle first their own COVID-19 measures before they decide on their domestic tourism reopening.
Many local travelers have also been anticipating the reopening of other tourist hotspots, including the ones in Central and Northern Luzon such as Baler town in Aurora and La Union province, which are both ideal for surfing activities.
“Gusto nila yung may swab test to ensure na may papasok negative (They want to have a swab test ensure that all visiting tourists are negative),” she said.
Puyat expressed confidence that despite the “slow but sure approach”, the industry will recover from the wrath of the pandemic.
In 2018, the tourism sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP was estimated at 12.7 percent, in which 11. 1 percent of the figures came from domestic tourism. This translates to P1.9 trillion revenue collection, according to Puyat. This was because, during the same year, 111 million Filipinos have traveled across the Philippines.
“Kaya ang message ko sana sa lahat, dapat talaga tangkilikin ang sariling atin, buy local, and support local para matulungan natin ang ating mga kababayan (So my message for all is to support what is ours, buy local, and support local to help our fellow Filipinos),” she added.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo- Puyat (ALBERT GARCIA / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
In an interview with Manila Bulletin, Puyat said the “no hotel reservation, no entry policy” remains in effect, but tourists will now be required to fill out the digital health declaration form through the Aklan Border Control Management Application prior to the entry in Caticlan airport.
This will be sent by the tourist’s hotel of choice, along with the receipt of the accommodation reservation and a QR code, as a move to strengthen the COVID-19 contact tracing efforts of the local government of Aklan that has jurisdiction over the area.
“So yung telepono mo . Wala ka ng hahawakan idadaan mo nalang sa system nila at makakapasok ka na . Iiscan na nila yung code (You will use your phone. You will no longer touch anything because you just have to go through their system to get inside the hotel. They will scan the code),” she said.
The scanned QR code, Puyat said, would include pertinent information regarding the check-in details, including the list of personnel who are on duty and whom the tourists could ask for help in case COVID-19 symptoms would manifest after.
She said during the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) inspection last Friday, all accommodation establishments have been gearing up for the island’s reopening, with “contactless” transaction and service are now in place.
During the pre-COVID phase, Boracay has 390 DOT-accredited establishments, 92 are applying for accreditation, while three tourism establishments have already been accredited recently, Puyat said.
If before, “welcome drinks” are given, now, every hotel in the island will rather provide guests with a face mask, a pack of anti-bacterial wipes, and hand sanitizer.
“Lahat nakafaceshield at nakamask. Makikita mo pa rin iba pa rin ang Filipino brand of COVID (All are wearing face shields and face masks. You will see that that Filipino brand of COVID is still different,” she said in a separate interview aired over DZBB.
But despite the contactless interaction, Puyat assured that the spirit of the DOT’s brand campaign “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” is still there, while taking safety for all on top of their priority.
To recall, the island itself remains COVID-free for over a month now, hence, the decision of the BIATF to reopen the world-famous tourist destination to Western Visayas locals for a “trial period.”
They lauded the efforts of the Aklan and Malay LGUs for their aggressive efforts to keep the island safe from the dreaded coronavirus disease.
She said if the reopening would be successful, the local officials of Aklan and Malay town will later decide on the next steps of the resumption of tourism activities in Boracay, but still with the guidance of BIATF.
Meanwhile, she said that despite the easement in quarantine protocols, the local governments of Bohol and El Nido in Palawan want to settle first their own COVID-19 measures before they decide on their domestic tourism reopening.
Many local travelers have also been anticipating the reopening of other tourist hotspots, including the ones in Central and Northern Luzon such as Baler town in Aurora and La Union province, which are both ideal for surfing activities.
“Gusto nila yung may swab test to ensure na may papasok negative (They want to have a swab test ensure that all visiting tourists are negative),” she said.
Puyat expressed confidence that despite the “slow but sure approach”, the industry will recover from the wrath of the pandemic.
In 2018, the tourism sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP was estimated at 12.7 percent, in which 11. 1 percent of the figures came from domestic tourism. This translates to P1.9 trillion revenue collection, according to Puyat. This was because, during the same year, 111 million Filipinos have traveled across the Philippines.
“Kaya ang message ko sana sa lahat, dapat talaga tangkilikin ang sariling atin, buy local, and support local para matulungan natin ang ating mga kababayan (So my message for all is to support what is ours, buy local, and support local to help our fellow Filipinos),” she added.