Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat thanked the national government COVID-19 task force for backing the revival of the country’s tourism industry.
(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
National Task Force (NTF) Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said that the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is supporting the Department of Tourism’s (DoT efforts for the reopening of the country’s major tourist destinations, as well as the resumption of operations of tourism enterprises like hotels to cater leisure travelers.
“Kami po ay sumusuporta sa ating Tourism Secretary Ma’am Berna Puyat. Nakita po natin na dahil sa COVID-19 na halos dumapa po talaga itong tourism business natin kaya po noong nagkaroon ng recommendation ng staycation, sinuportahan po natin si Ma’am Berna (We are supporting Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat. We saw that the wrath of the COVID-19 (pandemic) has severely affected our tourism businesses that is why when there was a recommendation for staycation, we supported Ma’am Berna),” he said.
Galvez also said that other major tourist destinations like Bohol and Palawan are gearing up for the tourism bubble program that is now being implemented in Baguio, Ilocos region, and Boracay Island in Aklan.
“We appreciate the support of Secretary Galvez for tourism,” Puyat said.
“The DoT will work closely with the IATF and the local governments to ensure that health and safety protocols will not be compromised as we slowly but surely open up tourism for domestic visitors in destinations,” she added.
The Tourism chief said the gradual resumption of domestic tourism will also help around 4.8 million workers in the industry that are directly hit by the unprecedented crisis.