Philippines to Reopen to International Tourism in February

The Philippines will once again welcome vaccinated international travelers next month after the coronavirus pandemic decimated the country's tourism industry.

According to Reuters.com, government officials in the Philippines initially planned to reopen the archipelagic nation to international tourism in December, but the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 cases attributed to the Omicron variant delayed the tourism restart.

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat announced it would remove quarantine requirements for returning Filipinos from February 1 and foreign tourists from February 10. Domestic and international visitors must still show proof of vaccination and test negative for coronavirus.

Romulo-Puyat revealed travelers from the 150 countries that have visa-free entry to the Philippines would be allowed to enter the Philippines more than 7,000 islands as part of an effort to boost jobs and help the economy recover.

"(This) will contribute significantly to job restoration, primarily in tourism-dependent communities, and in the reopening of businesses that have earlier shut down," Romulo-Puyat said in a statement.

Other countries in Southeast Asia have also started to ease travel restrictions, as Thailand will be accepting travel entry applications again on February 1, and Singapore and Malaysia relaxed the border between the countries in November as part of the "living with Covid" strategy.

Earlier this month, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced the 2022 edition of the annual Global Summit would take place between April 20-22 in Manila, Philippines.