The Philippines Long-Awaited Reopening Will Be Frustrating ... - Skift

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As Manila moves to regain lost precious tourism dollars, industry veterans in the Philippines doubt recovery will be swift. Patience will be required.

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The Philippines is now open for tourism.

This archipelago of more than 7,600 islands in Southeast Asia, famous for its pristine white beaches and colorful festivals, will start accepting fully vaccinated international visitors not required to have a visa from February 10. They also no longer have to quarantine in hotels upon arrival, said a government spokesman on Friday, as long as they produce a negative result from an RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to their departure for the Philippines.

There are doubts, however, how fast the country can recover considering some key tourism markets continue to implement quarantine protocols for its returning nationals, and several international carriers have dropped Manila as a route or reduced flights to the capital.

A Welcome Move, But...

“The reopening of the Philippines to vaccinated foreign travelers from visa-free countries is definitely a welcome decision. It is the restart o

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