The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Friday, Oct. 21, welcomed the lifting of the One Health Pass (OHP) entry requirement for travelers which, it said, signifies the full recuperation of the country's tourism industry from the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Likewise, DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco lauded the introduction of the eARRIVAL card as a replacement for the OHP to provide convenience and hustle-free travel for Filipinos and foreigners arriving in the country.
“The creation of the eARRIVAL card part of the national government’s effort to relax the stringent protocols on Covid-19 to attract more travelers and boost the country’s tourism recovery,” said Frasco.
The OHP requirement for inbound travelers following the DOT’s coordination with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), Department of Health (DOH), Bureau of Quarantine (BoQ), and other member agencies of the IATF.
The use of eARRIVAL card stemmed from the DOT’s proposal to lift the OHP due to frequent complaints from inbound travelers arriving in the country. Before the implementation of the eARRIVAL card, travelers are required to register for the OHP before traveling and accomplish the electronic Health Declaration Checklist (eHDC) on the day of departure.
Frasco said with the new system, travelers are now more convenient and hustle-free.
“With the eARRIVAL card, no need to provide unnecessary information fields, allowing the easier and faster completion of the traveler registration process,” Frasco noted.
“For instance, tourism-related fields were significantly cut by half, from 20 items under the OHP to now less than 10 items in the eARRIVAL Card. Fields such as traveler occupation and educational attainment were also removed,” Frasco furthered.
With the new system, travel could send details, personal information, health declarations, and jabs details on the eARRIVAL card website through www.onehealthpass.com.ph.
Travelers will be also provided with a unique QR code, according to Frasco.
“Travelers must then capture a screenshot of the QR code on his/her mobile or computer device and present this to the BoQ officers at their destination airport in the Philippines,” she added.
Meanwhile, if a traveler is unable to complete their eARRIVAL card, the BoQ stationed at the airport will assist them with the registration process.
“We, at the DOT, look forward to continuing this synergistic approach to the improvement of the overall tourist experience through close collaboration with our partner national government agencies under the guidance of President Marcos. Our shared aspiration is to provide travelers with better and stress-free services through continuous improvement of tourism-enabling mechanisms in the country, digitalization, and liberalized entry protocols that provide the least inconvenience to travelers and convey that the Philippines is open and ready to receive travelers,” Frasco explained.