MANILA – Hotels and similar accommodation establishments (AEs) are required to secure a certificate of authority to operate from the Department of Tourism before resuming to business operations during the community quarantine.
Under the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Resolution No. 43 of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine, accommodation establishments may operate only upon the issuance of a certificate of authority to operate.
“This is a welcome development for us to ensure that the safety and health of visitors will be given utmost priority and will not be compromised,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
Erring establishments face penalties, she warned.
The application for the certification remains free of charge.
DOT–accredited hotels and other AEs need only to submit to the DOT regional office with jurisdiction over their area the Letter of Intent to Operate.
Non-DOT-accredited hotels and AEs will need to apply for accreditation to ensure compliance with basic requirements.
Under the same resolution, AEs refer to establishments operating primarily for accommodation purposes including, but not limited to, hotels, resorts, apartment hotels, tourist inns, motels, pension houses, private homes used for homestay, ecolodges, serviced apartments, condotels, and bed and breakfast facilities. (DOT PR)
