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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider Ban on leisure travel from Manila temporary setback to Boracay—DOT

Ban on leisure travel from Manila temporary setback to Boracay—DOT

Published Mar 23, 2021 11:44 am

ILOILO CITY—With a spike in cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, the ban on leisure travel from residents in those areas is a temporary tourism setback for world-famous Boracay Island.

LEISURE STROLL. A couple wearing face masks takes a walk along the beach of Boracay Island.  (Tara Yap/File/Manila Bulletin)

“This is very temporary in nature.  The ban might even be lifted sooner,” said lawyer Helen Catalbas, the Western Visayas regional director of the Department of Tourism (DOT-6).
 
Catalbas is referring to the March 22 policy of the national government’s task force on COVID-19 that bans residents from National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal from leisure travel.
 
The temporary travel ban came days after the national government’s task force allowed saliva-based COVID-19 tests for inbound tourists as a means of increasing the number of visitors to the country’s most famous beach destination.
 
Since March 19 when saliva test was allowed, there was an increase in tourist arrivals in Boracay with 1,056 visitors. Majority were from NCR.
 
To recall, the national government had a previous policy requiring all inbound Boracay tourists to undergo swab tests. Since the swab tests were expensive, it drove away potential visitors after the resort island reopened to domestic tourists last October 2020.
 
 

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