By Eryl Banag

The Philippines will welcome fully vaccinated foreign tourists for leisure travels soon as the nation continues to ease travel restrictions. 

This was after Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat announced that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) "approved in principle" the DOT's proposal to allow entry of fully vaccinated travelers from countries under the 'green' list.

"Allowing tourists from green countries or territories that have the majority of its population vaccinated and with low infection rate, will greatly help in our recovery efforts--increasing tourist arrivals and receipts among others," said Sec. Puyat. 

The tourism chief considered this a welcome development since some neighboring countries like Thailand and Cambodia have reopened their borders for international leisure travelers. 

The Special Technical Working Group on Travel will draft the guidelines up for IATF's approval. 

Only fully vaccinated individuals who were inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may be able to visit the country. 

Sec. Puyat also stated, "This move will likewise aid in bolstering consumer confidence, which is a large contributor to our gross domestic product or GDP growth." 

This will help the tourism industry bounce back from the effects of the pandemic as it is one of the sectors hardest hit due to lockdowns and closing of borders. The DOT reported the lowest gross domestic product (GDP) contribution in two decades after it accounted for 5.4% GDP in 2020 compared with 12.7% GDP in 2019. 

Moreover, the DOT and the Small Technical Working Group on Travel will also make another recommendation called "Vaccinated Travel Lanes or Bubbles" program wherein inoculated tourists from 'yellow' countries will be allowed entry subject to certain restrictions and strict conditions. 

The IATF released Resolution No. 148-A on November 11, which included the updated list of Green, Yellow, and Red territories. Countries under the Green List category are as follows: American Samoa, Bhutan, Chad, China (Mainland), Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Federated States of Micronesia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China), India, Indonesia, Japan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Montserrat, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, South Africa, Sudan, Taiwan, Togo, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.