Tinglayan, Kalinga – Tourism stakeholders in Buscalan, Tinglayan were reminded to comply with all government requirements such as vaccination, acquisition of sanitary permit, medical permit, fire safety inspection certificate, and others before the formal reopening of tourism.
This was reiterated during the 4th Quarter Tourism Council of the local government unit of Tinglayan, under the leadership of Mayor Sacrament Gumilab on November 17, 2021.
Preparations for the requirements have been announced on September 8 in response to the appeal of the people of Buscalan, asking for tourism reopening as they lost a significant amount of income with the tourism closure due to the surge of COVID-19 cases.
As of November 17, data of the tourism office, as stated in the local government’s press release, revealed that only 9 out of 35 homestay owners in Buscalan, 10 out of 24 tattoo artists, 33 out of 59 tour guides have complied to said requirements.
Municipal Health Office further disclosed that only 10% of the residents in the barangay were vaccinated.
The requirements, Mayor Gumilab explained, are set by the government to help the people, therefore asking cooperation among stakeholders for the improvement of the tourism industry not only in Buscalan but in the municipality as a whole.
As the mayor’s way of showing support to the reopening of tourism, which he said brought countless benefits to the people of Tinglayan, Gumilab plans to have 2 midwives stationed in Buscalan and additional thermal scanners to strengthen safety measures in the barangay.
Vaccination will likewise be opened in the barangay this November 22.
Meanwhile, the dry run, which commenced on October 16, continues until November 30. This is for the evaluation of the barangay and municipal local government in their capacity to handle tourists and prepare for possible incidents on the actual operation.
The effectiveness of the new setup rules and protocols is also being assessed in the dry run.
Municipal Tourism Office is pushing for online registration to ensure that the tourists will be monitored and limited to 100 a day in accordance with the latest guidelines released.
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