The country that hosts Puerto Princesa Underground River, one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, is open for neighbouring countries to kickstart international tourism. These ‘bubbles’ are travel corridors that will settle strict enforcement of health and safety protocols established by both border countries.
In addition, the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) is currently focused on domestic travel to reboot tourism. A number of tourist destinations have reopened for local travellers. According to this department, the Philippines received 1,323,956 foreign visitors from January to December 2020, a decline of 83.97% from the over eight million arrivals in the same period in 2019.
“Whenever feasible, the Philippines is willing to tie-up with neighbouring countries first with the main consideration of proximity,” stated DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat. Travel corridors and so-called “green lanes” have also been established by countries like Singapore to other countries with low infection rates or countries with stringent health and safety measures.