In a Senate hearing on COVID-19 Wednesday, the DOT stressed that the new normal in the tourism sector will include the strict implementation of health and safety protocols.
“The Department of Tourism is rolling out very soon an omnibus revised tourism standard as espoused by the Department of Health and the World Health Organization, anchored on best practices around the world,” said DOT Undersecretary Art Boncato Jr.
The measures include social distancing, deep sanitation, and the investment of stakeholders on health plans for employees and guests.
Furthermore, DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said that non-essential travel will only be allowed during a modified general community quarantine, hence the revival of tourism-related establishments.
According to Boncato, hotels will be mandated to only allow a maximum of double occupancy. Restaurants, on the other hand, will be permitted to only operate at a 50% capacity for dining, he also said.
“We expect to roll out that set of standards within the next couple of weeks, so that we’ll give time to all our stakeholders to prepare and to comply,” he added.
The tourism sector is one of the hardest-hit industries in the country and around the globe due to the pandemic.
According to Puyat, the tourism sector accounted for 12.7% of the country’s gross domestic product, giving 5.4 million jobs to Filipinos.
She said that international visitor arrivals from January to April stood at 1.3 million, bringing down revenues from foreign tourists by 55.79%.
“With both international and domestic travel restrictions in effect for the entirety of April, there have been no visiting tourists and therefore no revenue for the industry for this month,” Puyat told the hearing.
The DOT added that reviving local tourism will be the catalyst for the entire industry to recover.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 20) — The Department of Tourism will soon roll out a new set of standards to revive the local tourism industry as the entire country adapts to the new normal.
