Eased Beijing travel rules cheer PHL tourism players

BEIJING’S recent easing of its zero Covid tolerance policy bodes well for international travel, with most countries, like the Philippines, heavily dependent on the Chinese market for tourism revenue.

Starting January 8, passengers from other countries will no longer be quarantined upon arrival in China, with Beijing facilitating visa requests by foreigners especially for business travel, studies, and family reunions.

While details are still scant on Beijing’s rules for outbound travel, it is already slowly lifting the number of international flights between China and the rest of the world, while passenger quotas will also be eased. Pioneering legacy flag carrier Philippine Airlines, for one, has already announced the resumption of its Xiamen service starting with one flight a week, to and from Manila beginning January 13.

In an interview with the Businessmirror, Fe Abling Yu, president of the Philippine Tour Operators Association (Philtoa), welcomed the surprising development in China: “We give a lot of importance to Chinese tourists,” with the market being the second largest, pre-pandemic, in the Philippines. Arrivals from China reached some 1.74 million in 2019, generating US$2.33 billion receipts.

Fully vaxxed only please

ALTHOUGH it would be preferable to require Chinese tourists to take a Covid-19 test at least 48 hours prior to their arrival in the Philippines, she doesn’t want this to cause any diplomatic rifts with China, which may feel it is being singled out. She recommended that government still require the Chinese tourists, like other foreign nationalities, to be fully vaccinated and present a vaccination certificate, “not just a vaccination card,” to ensure these travelers are healthy, “and also to

maintain own citizens’ safety.”

Beijing claims 90 percent of its citizens are vaccinated against Covid-19, but it only uses the locallymade Sinovac and Sinopharm. A US study found China-made Covid vaccines to be just 66 percent effective against the virus, while MRNA vaccines manufactured by Western pharmaceutical companies offer at least 90-percent protection.

Abling-yu stressed, private sector stakeholders such as hotels and tour operators, not just the government, be on their toes “monitoring the health of all their guests,” no matter the nationality. She also suggested returning the use of thermometers at the hotel entrances, for one: “This is also for the protection of the guest himself, who will be able to know if he has a fever or not,” and then decide whether or not to proceed with his meeting or event.

Boon for MICE sector

FOR his part, Joel Pascual, president of the Philippine Association of Convention/exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (Paceos) said, “The absence of Chinese contingents in MICE events, most especially in exhibitions, has created a huge vacuum in international expos. This

current development [China’s relaxation of travel restrictions] is something the industry has really been looking forward to.”

He added, “Of course, it goes without saying that proper precaution should still be put in place to prevent the resurgence of the pandemic. But all things considered, this is good for global economies, and that includes the MICE sector.” He said most MICE organizers will follow local government regulations for MICE events. “In our experience, visitors get annoyed with protocols in events that are more than what the LGU requires,” he said in response to suggestions of continued social distancing and temperature checks at events.

MICE refers to meetings, incentive tours, conventions, and exhibitions. The Department of Tourism is currently preparing a strategic action plan to implement its targets under the MICE Roadmap 2030 it launched in 2018.

(See, “PHL aims to earn P25B from MICE hostings,” in the Businessmirror.)

In her yearend briefing, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco expressed high hopes on the resumption of outbound Chinese travel. “Our tourism attaches in Beijing and Shanghai continue to make the necessary preparations to anticipate the arrivals, and that includes negotiations with airlines in terms of the flights, both commercial and chartered.”