Puyat urges LGUs under MGCQ to reopen tourist spots

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat urged yesterday local government units (LGUs) under the most lenient modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) to reopen their tourist destinations.

“We have already opened a lot of our main tourist destinations and no COVID-19 outbreak because of tourism,” Puyat said in an interview with CNN Philippines, noting that most of the LGUs are requiring a negative COVID-19 test result before entering their places, a move she describes as a “deterrent.”

Puyat said the DOT is consistent in reminding travelers to follow the minimum health protocols such as wearing of face mask and face shield whenever they are in enclosed areas and to observe physical distancing.

She added that she wants all tourist destinations under MGCQ to reopen within the year, as she noted that tourism is one of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic.

“Under MGCQ, it should all be open because by the mere definition if you’re under MGCQ it means that your cases are low and leisure is already accepted,” Puyat stressed.

The DOT chief said the agency would focus on the country’s strength, which is domestic tourism.

“But we will continually push as we go along as we are able to handle this as people are vaccinated for more foreigners entering,” she said.

She noted that the tourism industry contributed about 12.7 percent to the country’s gross domestic product in 2019. Of this, 10.8 percent was from domestic tourism.

In 2019, she recounted, there were 8.26 million foreign tourists who visited the country and 110 million domestic travelers.