Before the end of the year, the PH will reopen to fully vaccinated tourists.

Fully vaccinated tourists from “green list” countries and territories will be able to enter the Philippines as soon as the Inter-Agency Task Force issues the guidelines, which are expected before the end of the month.

According to the DOT, the IATF “has approved in principle the entry of fully vaccinated tourists from green list countries/territories/jurisdictions following the guidelines as may be finalized and approved” by the task force.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a text message that the IATF will meet this afternoon to discuss the protocols, which will be released “definitely by November.”
She assured that the move to allow leisure travel from “green countries” would be subject to strict conditions.

Only individuals who have been fully vaccinated and have vaccines recognized by the country’s Food and Drug Administration under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or those authorized by the World Health Organization will be allowed entry.

“Allowing tourists from green countries or territories where the majority of the population is vaccinated and there is a low infection rate will greatly aid in our recovery efforts—increasing tourist arrivals and receipts, among other things,” Romulo-Puyat said.

“This move will also help to boost consumer confidence, which is a significant contributor to our gross domestic product or GDP growth,” she added.

As of this posting, the following countries are on the “green list” until November 30, 2021:

American Samoa

Bhutan
Chad
China (Mainland)
Comoros
Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Federated States of Micronesia
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China)
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Malawi
Mali
Marshall Islands
Montserrat
Morocco
Namibia
Niger
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Paraguay
Rwanda
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Sint Eustatius
South Africa
Sudan
Taiwan
Togo
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
Zambia
Zimbabwe

The IATF approval, according to Puyat, is a welcome development, as other countries have reopened their borders to international leisure travelers.

“Our Asean neighbors, such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, did the same thing.” We believe it is also time to reopen our borders to inbound tourism as a step toward full recovery,” she said.

Except for the Faroe Islands and the Netherlands, which are on the “red list,” all other countries or territories are on the “yellow list.”

According to the agency, a proposal to establish a “vaccinated travel lane or bubble” for yellow list countries was submitted to the IATF on Thursday for approval.

The proposed bubble is a special program for vaccinated tourists from yellow-list countries that allows them to enter the Philippines under strict restrictions. (PNA)

Source: https://bit.ly/3o1atO5