The Philippines opened its doors to vaccinated tourists starting February 10th.

With the goal of reviving the tourism industry and making a significant contribution to the country's jobs, livelihoods, and economic growth, the Philippines decided to lift the green, yellow, and red classifications of countries based on their Covid-19 status starting February 1st, and resume visa-free travel for short visits by citizens from 157 countries that were allowed free entry to the Philippines before the pandemic began, including Vietnam.

However, China – the fastest-growing tourism market for the Philippines, Taiwan, and India – is not on the list.

According to the new regulations, fully vaccinated travelers from visa-exempt countries, arriving for tourism and business purposes, must test negative for Covid-19 before flying to the Philippines and will not be required to quarantine upon arrival.

All travelers must also present a negative RT-PCR test performed within 48 hours of departure and are not required to quarantine at the facility. Instead, travelers will self-monitor for symptoms for 7 days. Unvaccinated foreigners will be banned from entry starting February 16th.

Despite the continued rise in Covid-19 cases, the Philippines is looking to ease some restrictions. Undersecretary of Health Rosario Vergeire stated that restricting international visitors is pointless given the high Covid-19 infection rate in the Philippines, which he said could be even higher than in some other countries. To date, an estimated half of the Philippine population has received at least two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Khanh Ha