Philippines 'ready and open' for tourism: WTTC

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Domestic travelers get their boarding passes at an electronic booth at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminal 3 in Pasay City on April 7, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File " src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/tvpatrol/04/22/20220407-airport-travelers-jc-0021.jpg"/><figcaption>Domestic travelers get their boarding passes at an electronic booth at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminal 3 in Pasay City on April 7, 2022. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - The Philippines is &quot;ready and open&quot; for visitors as coronavirus infections continued to decline, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) said Friday as the country hosted the group&#x27;s in-person summit.</p><p>Some 800 delegates, including United Nations World Tourism Organization officials, tourism ministers, and industry executives were expected to attend the WTTC Summit hosted by the tourism department, it earlier said. </p><p>&quot;The Philippines is ready and open and able to handle guests coming from around the world,&quot; WTTC chairperson Arnold Donald told ANC&#x27;s Headstart.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;ve evolved in the middle of this health crisis to a point where we can work towards seamless and frictionless travel, and ensure that people come together so they can discover around the world what they share in common and learn to celebrate their differences rather than fear them.&quot; </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/04/21/22/how-pandemic-is-shaping-the-future-of-travel">Unified health protocols, eco-friendly accommodations: How pandemic is shaping the future of travel</a></li></ul><p>Members of the WTTC have agreed to &quot;treat people as individuals&quot; rather than impose bans whenever there is a surge in a particular country, Donald said.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s the individuals&#x27; health situation that should determine one’s ability and freedom to travel as opposed to broad ban this country, color this country a particular country. Individuals — are they vaccinated, have they been tested, do they have history with the virus etcetera,&quot; he said.</p><p>Seamless and frictionless travel is possible if nations agree on uniform criteria for travel, Donald said.</p><p>&quot;Let’s simplify things so people feel less uncertain when they travel,&quot; he said.</p><p>Travel requirements &quot;over time will disappear,&quot; he added.</p><p>&quot;First and foremost always we should put the interests of public health first,&quot; said Donald.</p><p>&quot;A number of nations have already moved away from requiring testing or even requiring the evidence of vaccination. The reason they have those is because they&#x27;re confident in their local population having high degree of vaccination and getting boosted.&quot;</p><p>The Philippines has so far boosted 12.7 million individuals while 36 million more are eligible to receive the additional jab as of Monday, according to the health department.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2008116" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>It is imperative for Filipinos to get a third dose in order to not &quot;lose the freedom they have today,&quot; according to Joey Concepcion, special adviser for entrepreneurship.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/20/22/covid-vaccination-key-to-moving-around-presl-adviser">&#x27;It will buy you freedom&#x27;: Palace adviser urges people to take first COVID booster shot</a></li></ul><p>&quot;I think people are just confident that we&#x27;re really in the endemic state and we’re moving towards that. If people want to remove their mask… you&#x27;re taking some risk in removing your mask. But for us to have that freedom, we have to take a booster,&quot; he told ANC.</p><p>The country has 80 million COVID-19 vaccines in its stockpile, just enough for government&#x27;s target before President Rodrigo Duterte steps down in June, Concepcion said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/21/22/habang-wala-pang-surge-publiko-hinikayat-na-magpa-booster-shots">Habang wala pang surge: Publiko hinikayat na magpa-booster shot</a></li></ul><p>&quot;People feel comfortable, &#x27;I’ll just take my booster when there’s a surge,&#x27; not realizing these vaccines are time-bound and the government has purchased it and it&#x27;s in the Philippines already,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;These vaccines will definitely expire if we take our time,&quot; warned the official. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe __idm_id__="1679361" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2008101" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The Philippines is 'ready and open' for visitors as coronavirus infections continued to decline, the World Travel and Tourism Council said Friday.

Philippines 'ready and open' for tourism: WTTC | ABS-CBN

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Philippines 'ready and open' for tourism: WTTC

Philippines 'ready and open' for tourism: WTTC

ABS-CBN News

Published Apr 22, 2022 11:02 AM PHT

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Headstart

tourism

COVID-19 travel

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Arnold Donald

Joey Concepcion

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