Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat
MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) was able to assist over 36,000 stranded foreign and domestic tourists in the Philippines since land, air, and sea travel were suspended as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in March.
At least 27,620 foreign tourists were provided aid in terms of facilitating sweeper and commercial recovery flights with national and local government units, embassies, and airline companies as well as land and sea transportation, provision of meals, and accommodation arrangements.
The DOT was also able to provide transport and assistance to 9,237 domestic tourists stranded from provincial airports in Butuan, Caticlan, Cebu, Davao, El Nido, Iloilo, and Puerto Princesa.
"All of our people were there, from the island to the airport, we were there. The Filipino brand of service is still there, but ‘yun na nga e, social distancing,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a virtual press conference.
The declaration of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) last March hampered movement in Luzon and different parts of the Philippines leaving thousands of individuals stranded, the majority of whom are foreigners who had to catch flights back to their home countries.
As several areas shift to modified general community quarantine, Romulo-Puyat urged Filipinos to support the country’s economy by traveling within the Philippines once provinces are ready to open tourism activities.
“We have been coordinating with local government units and our tourism stakeholders in preparing our tourist destinations for local travelers. Of course, we want to make sure that safety and sanitation protocols will be followed in these places before we can even open,” she said. (PNA)
