XBB sub-variant unravels revenge travel plans
As of 17 October, the country has received 1,767,791 foreign visitors, exceeding the 1.7 million for 2022 projected by the DoT before 30 June.
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As of 17 October, the country has received 1,767,791 foreign visitors, exceeding the 1.7 million for 2022 projected by the DoT before 30 June.
After two years of devastation from the Covid-19 pandemic, the domestic tourism industry has been rattled enough. It is ready to bounce back, with stakeholders fully vaccinated and unworried about the Omicron XBB sub-variant.
At the 6th World Travel Expo 2022 in Okada, Manila on Friday, Department of Tourism regional director Sharlene Zabala-Batin said, "everything is under control" as she encouraged the public to grab the opportunity to rediscover the 7,640 islands of the Philippines, as the pandemic will soon end.
"We have gone through our fair share of ups and downs this year. But the Department has certainly exerted efforts to improve travel conditions to encourage more tourists to explore our country. Let this expo be a motivating sign that the relief and recovery we aspired for is within our reach," she said.
According to Batin, tourism businesses are finding their footing and will not be disrupted again by the new Covid sub-variant because, this time, they know how to navigate to facilitate the number of domestic and foreign tourist arrivals in the country.
As of 17 October, the country has received 1,767,791 foreign visitors, exceeding the 1.7 million for 2022 projected by the DoT before 30 June.
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Batin said this might breach or beyond two million towards the end of the year.
She said a travel expo such as the WTE 2022 is imperative to encourage travelers' confidence further.
The WTE 2022 was officially opened on Friday until 23 October, organized by Ad Asia Conventions and Exhibitions International Corporation and Okada Manila.
XBB sub-variant
Also, on Friday, the Department of Health confirmed the local transmission of the highly contagious omicron XBB subvariant and XBC variant.
On the other hand, the Health Department's director for the Epidemiology Bureau said the country's XBB and XBC cases are not linked to travel but are local cases through local transmission.
With this, Batin stressed that amid the confirmed presence of the sub-variant, the DoT encourages citizens not to worry because everything is under control.
"We at the DoT fervently believe that this yet another challenge can be eventually overcome by our nation. It's mainly because our tourism frontliners are fully vaccinated, while 90 percent have acquired first and second booster shots. Bear in mind that the DoT and all our tourism frontliners are ready to face this trial. We are even more than ready to welcome you in your travel to our country," Batin said in an interview with the Daily Tribune.
Meanwhile, the DoT announced that they welcome the national government's introduction of the eARRIVAL CARD to provide a more convenient and stress-free experience for Filipino and foreign travelers arriving in the Philippines.
The new electronic eARRIVAL CARD has officially replaced the One Health Pass as an entry requirement for arrival in the Philippines, which is easier to fill out and requires less information, in line with a decision by Philippine health authorities to simplify the arrival process.
According to Tourism secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, the inception of the eARRIVAL CARD as a replacement for the OHP entry requirement for travelers fulfills part of the Marcos administration's objective to ease the country's remaining stringent entry protocols to attract more travelers and boost the country's tourism recovery.
