Baguio hotels now open to local tourist

Baguio City, Philippines – Hotels in the city are now permitted to accommodate domestic tourists, the Department of Tourism announced Friday, February 5, 2021.

Announcement was made after the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) granted the request of the local government of Baguio to resume hotel operations despite being put into General Quarantine Status to give way for the large number of people who has confirmed bookings for this month.

As contained in Resolution No. 98 dated February 4, 2021, hotels in the city and other accommodation establishments are given the permission to accommodate travellers for leisure purposes but are to continue strict observance of health and safety protocols and contact tracing measures.

In a statement, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said they endorsed the request to the IATF considering the city’s visitor information, registration and contract tracing system and the assurance to undertake stricter measures to pursue said plan.

“Given Baguio City’s visitor information, registration and contract tracing system and the assurance to undertake stricter measures to make it work, we objectively endorsed the request to the IATF for guidance,” Puyat said.

The agency’s report said the city was specifically granted the authority in recognition of its institutionalized protocols on registration requiring all to have a VISITA account, easy contact tracing of visitors using the QTP (QR-coded Tourist Pass) system and strict triage procedures upon arrival.

In connection with this, the department is now working on the crafting of guidelines for the accommodation of guests for leisure and business purposes in areas under different levels of community quarantine.