The Philippines will reopen itsborders to some foreign tourists from December 1, government officials said onFriday.
The Philippines, known for its diving andthousands of tropical islands, saw an 83% drop in foreign arrivals last year,receiving nearly 1.4 million visitors, compared to nearly 8.2 million in 2019.Japan, South Korea and China are its biggest tourism markets.
Only tourists who have received vaccinesrecognized by the Philippines Food and Drug Administration or authorized by theWorld Health Organization will be allowed entry into the country.
Neighbours Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia,Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have also announced various degrees ofreopening in recent weeks, after progress in vaccinating their localpopulations.
"Allowing tourists from green countriesor territories that have the majority of its population vaccinated and with lowinfection rate, will greatly help in our recovery efforts," tourismminister, Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, said in the statement.
“Those from the green list countries willmost likely be the first to be permitted admission,” Puyat said.
There are currently 44 countries andterritories on the Philippines green list, namely-
American Samoa, Bhutan, Chad, Mainland ChinaComoros, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Falkland Islands (Malvinas), FederatedStates of Micronesia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong (Special AdministrativeRegion of China), India, Indonesia, Japan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi,Mali, Marshall Islands, Montserrat, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Northern MarianaIslands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Barthelemy, SaintPierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, SouthAfrica, Sudan, Taiwan, Togo, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Zambia, andZimbabwe.
“There’s just a few things that we need totweak. But the reason why we are announcing it is that we are putting theentire world on notice that we will eventually open up our shores to touristscoming from green list countries,” Nograles, acting presidentialspokesman, said at a press briefing.