DOT resumes accreditation of tour operators to handle Chinese visitors

HE Philippines has reopened its doors to tourists from mainland China, once among the country’s top leisure markets.

In a memorandum on June 28, 2022, then Tourism Officer-in-charge/secretary Edwin R. Enrile informed Department of Tourism (Dot)-accredited tour operators that visa issuance to Chinese tour groups would be resumed under Joint Circular 2015-001 of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Justice and Bureau of Immigration (BI).

“In view of the lifting of visa and entry-related restrictions in the country by the Inter-agency Task for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases Resolution 165 2022, the [DOT] is resuming the acceptance of applications for endorsement to the DFA of Dot-accredited tour operators who wish to handle tour groups from the People’s Republic China. Accordingly, pre-pandemic visa requirements and procedures shall be reinstituted,” Enrile said.

The Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) welcomed the decision of the government to lift the restrictions on the entry of Chinese tourists.

TCP President Jose C. Clemente III told the Businessmirror that “reinstating the rules for visa issuances for Chinese tour groups will help generate more revenues for the tourism industry, which needs to urgently reboot and recover.”

“The Chinese used to be among the top arrivals in the Philippines and with their return, I would think they would take their rightful place again among the top foreign tourists in the country,” Clemente told this newspaper.

Still, Clemente said: “We just have to continue to remind them and our other foreign guests, to strictly follow the minimum public health standards such as wearing of masks and constantly washing their hands with soap and water, or using hand sanitizers.”

Non-essential travel discouraged

MAINLAND China, however, continues to restrict the outbound travel of its citizens for “non-essential purposes” as it tries to prevent anew the spread of Covid-19. Its Ministry of Culture and Tourism reiterated last March 30 that Chinese travel agents still cannot sell outbound group tour packages. Data provided by the DOT showed though 7,249 arrivals from mainland China from April 1 to June 30.

In 2019, prior to the pandemic, the Philippines received a historic-high 8.26-million foreign tourists. Mainland Chinese ranked second among the top tourist arrivals at 1.74 million, after South Koreans, which ranked first with close to 2 million visitors. In third place were Americans at 1.06 million.

Filipino tour operators who want to apply to handle Chinese tour groups have to submit a notarized affidavit of guarantee addressed to the DOT Undersecretary of Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation; a letter of guarantee addressed to the Philippine Consulate General; a copy of the Consulate Authentication with Red Ribbon; a signed and sealed Cooperation Agreement with a Chinese National Tourism Association-accredited travel agency valid not more than three years; and a copy of a valid accreditation certificate.

Tour operators who want to renew their permits only have to comply with the first two requirements and submit a photocopy of previous letters of endorsements.

“Once approved, DO shall provide a copy of the drysealed letter of endorsement to the Dot-accredited tour operator, the office of the Philippine Consulate or to the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Beijing, the Dfa-office of Consular Affairs and BI,” Enrile said.

The letter of endorsement is valid for six months from the date of its issuance; but shall in no case exceed the validity of the tour operator’s DOT accreditation.