The Department of Tourism (DoT) is now preparing local destinations, including accommodation establishments, to acquire the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp.
The step-by-step application procedure will start Dec. 21.
Created by the WTTC to restore traveler confidence in the destinations they choose to visit, the new global standards and a stamp facilitates recognition of the businesses and destinations that follow best practices.
To be a recipient of the stamp, a destination must ensure that its own safety guidelines align with the WTTC’s core requirements such as standardized health and hygiene protocols.
These include guidelines on retooling manpower, revising cleaning procedures, mandating masks where needed, monitoring guest numbers to facilitate social distancing, contact tracing, and putting up appropriate signage to encourage guests to use safe hygiene practices.
The DoT-led engagement meetings with local tourism stakeholders are targeting the destinations that have reopened, considering that they already have the basic health and safety protocols up and running.
Local chief executives, tourism officers, as well as DoT-accredited accommodation establishments issued with Certificates of Authority to Operate as Staycations (CAOS), will be briefed on how to qualify for this global stamp of approval.
“We encourage managers of destinations, which include the local government units (LGUs) and owners and operators of accommodation establishments, and other tourism enterprises, to consider the Safe Travels Stamp as reinforcing global health and safety standards. As we succeed in getting more stamp recipients, we assure the international community that the Philippines is ready to provide safe and fun tourism experiences once again when the country finally opens its doors to inbound travel,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
The Philippines is the 100th destination to be awarded the WTTC Safe Travels Stamp, the world’s first global safety and hygiene stamp.