Following the approval of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to end the mandatory use of facemasks outdoors, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said on Tuesday, Sep. 13, that the Philippines is now open to the world.

“Our prospects for recovery are much brighter with the Philippines’ signal to the world that we are open, we are ready, and we are moving forward,” said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco in a statement.

Frasco hailed the decision of the President to allow the voluntary wearing of face masks outdoors amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

She said this also vindicated their earlier standing that lifting stringent health protocols would result in faster recovery in tourism portfolios like in the case of other economies in Asia, Europe, and North America where they are getting favorable economic conditions and an increase in tourist arrivals after liberalizing the mask mandate.

The DOT is optimistic that the lifting of the mask mandate will allow the Philippines to catch up in the race to recover tourism in the ASEAN region, as this is seen to build more confidence in travel, spur economic activity, and enhance people-to-people connectivity in and around the country.

“With the President’s EO and hopefully, the eventual recalibration of all remaining restrictions, the country will be able to strike the necessary balance between protecting lives and promoting livelihood,” Frasco uttered.

With the lifting of the face mask mandate in public, the DOT is gearing up some strategic campaigns in promoting safe travel in the Philippines.

Frasco said, to commensurate the trust of the President in Philippine tourism, the DOT is looking forward to future collective efforts under the present administration acknowledging the tourism industry as a major pillar for economic recovery in the country.

“Not only will we survive the pandemic, but we will thrive, we will endure, and we will get back stronger than ever,” Frasco added.