Philippines to reopen 'soon' to vaccinated foreign tourists

Published
0

The Philippines has approved a plan to allow entry soon to foreign tourists vaccinated against Covid-19, its tourism ministry said, following moves by other Southeast Asian countries to relax travel curbs.

The coronavirus task force “approved in principle the entry of fully vaccinated tourists” from countries with low Covid-19 cases, the ministry said, adding that guidelines must be finalised.

The Philippines, known for its diving and thousands of tropical islands, saw an 83 per cent drop in foreign arrivals last year, receiving nearly 1.4 million visitors, compared to nearly 8.2 million in 2019.

Japan, South Korea and China are its biggest tourism markets, Reuters reports.

A view of an empty beach is seen in Philippines. — Reuters
A view of an empty beach is seen in Philippines. — Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Risks ahead
Updated 02 Oct, 2026

Risks ahead

To think that the government would rather push out an elected government than grant a single prisoner some facilities does not square up rationally.
Exit from Iraq
02 Oct, 2026

Exit from Iraq

AMERICAN and British troops have once again shipped out of Iraq. On Wednesday, the foreign forces left the Arab...
Lahore’s ozone warning
02 Oct, 2026

Lahore’s ozone warning

LAHORE has received another warning that its air pollution crisis cannot be treated as a problem that begins with...
Fixing bond markets
Updated 01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, retail investors, and eventually, foreign investors must become bigger participants in the market.
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...