The Philippines will finally reopen its borders to fully vaccinated tourists from February 10. The country had initially planned to reopen in December 2021 following an increase in vaccinations and a drop in Covid-19 infections, however, an outbreak of the Omicron strain stopped those plans.
The government will also lift quarantine requirements for foreign tourists subject to a negative test for Covid-19. The announcement is seen as positive for the country’s POGO industry, which employs a large number of expatriate workers from mainland China and Asia.
Through the reopening of the borders, the government also hopes to contribute to the economic recovery of the tourism and gaming sectors.
The capital city of Manila was under Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions through January after a new rise of Covid-19 cases and the detection of three local cases of the Omicron variant. Casinos continued operating but on a limited basis, and only fully vaccinated customers were allowed to enter.
According to acting presidential spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, in 2021 the country saw only 1.4 million arrivals, significantly lower than the 3.6 million in 2020. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, The Philippines was seeing 16.9 million arrivals.
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