The Philippines will open its borders to tourists starting February 10, almost two years after the closure of international borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Citizens of some 150 countries that have previously benefited from visa-free entry into the Philippines - including Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom - will once again be able to visit the popular Asian destination without being quarantined.
The economic losses due to the two years of isolation were aggravated by a super typhoon that hit the country in December. We remind you that the Philippines is dependent on tourism.
"The tourism industry can now recover and contribute a lot to jobs, influencing the standard of living and economic growth of the country.", Said Presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles.
The Philippines will abandon the "traffic light" system, which has ranked countries according to Covid-19 transmission, and will shift its focus to individual travelers, who must be fully vaccinated and test negative for a PCR test performed within 48 hours before the trip.
While unvaccinated travelers remain banned, unvaccinated Filipino citizens can enter the country on a five-day quarantine basis.
However, while popular tourist destinations such as Boracay will receive visitors, parts of the Philippines - including many of its smaller islands - impose strict restrictions or remain in lockdown.
We remind you that Australia could also reopen its borders for all visitors and business travelers until Easter 2022.