By Analou De Vera Tourism stakeholders expressed their support for the government's decision to impose a temporary travel ban on travellers coming from China and its special administrative regions, the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) said. The TCP said that the measure was imposed to help mitigate the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD) in the country. "While we realize that this will affect the tourism industry, we also acknowledge that our country's safety and health take precedence over business at this time," said TCP President Jojo Clemente. "We continue to assure our other tourism markets that the industry stakeholders are enacting measures to ensure our visitor's wellbeing while in the country," he added. Clemente said the TCP will continue to coordinate with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and other government agencies to "come out with vital information and updates." The DOT recently said that it is in close coordination with other government agencies and assured that precautionary measures are being done to ensure the safety of all tourists visiting the Philippines. "The safety and protection of our citizens, the employees of the tourism sector, and domestic and foreign tourists alike remain the DOT's priority," the tourism department said.