Camiguin reopens to tourists

MANILA, Philippines — Nineteen months after it shut down due to COVID, Camiguin Island in Mindanao will reopen to tourists on Oct. 25.

In a post on social media, the Camiguin Tourism Office reminded potential visitors to comply with the requirement set by the provincial government.

Visitors will be required to fill out an online health declaration form and submit negative RT-PCR test results, COVID vaccination cards and booking details from accredited establishments.

The RT-PCR test should be done 72 hours before travel for tourists from Luzon and 48 hours for those from the Visayas and Mindanao, the provincial tourism office said.

The provincial government will issue a QR code once an application is approved, which should be downloaded by the tourist.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) expressed hope that all tourism workers in the island-province would be fully vaccinated by the end of the month.

At present, 67 percent of the province’s 4,591 tourism workers are fully vaccinated against COVID, according to Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

Meanwhile, travelers entering the province of Aklan, where world-famous Boracay Island is located, are still required to present a negative RT-PCR test result regardless of their vaccination status.

“At present, we still follow the requirement of a negative RT-PCR test result, and we have not implemented an exemption on fully vaccinated visitors,” Rosell Ruiz, Aklan tourism officer, said during a forum organized by the DOT and the Philippine Statistics Authority yesterday.