Bohol’s tourism hub, Panglao town, is now allowing the reopening of tourism-related businesses belonging to four (4) sectors after more than three (3) months of hiatus due to the forced shutdown related to the efforts to prevent the spread of the Covid infection.
In simple ceremonies on Sunday, June 21, 2020, Panglao mayor Leonila Montero formally announced the reopening of tourism-related businesses in four sectors namely, the accommodation establishments, land and sea transport, restaurants, and tourism-related activities.
Ceremonies were held on Sunday at Barangay Tawala, near a famous fastfood joint. The event was graced by Gov. Arthur Yap according to reports from the Municipality of Panglao and the Capitol.
According to information from the town government, Montero led the ceremonial turnover to Gov Yap of booklets containing guidelines in the operation of the 4 sectors of the tourism industry in the town.
“As your servant leader, let me and my administration assure you that what we are doing here is within the boundaries of the regulations set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. This governmental task force issued resolution number 43 last June 3, 2020, which provides that Accommodation Establishments such as, but not limited to, hotels, resorts, apartment hotels, tourist inns, motels, pension houses, private homes used for a homestay, ecolodges, serviced apartments, condotels, and bread and breakfast facilities and other tourism-related businesses and activities may now gradually open as long as they follow the strict health protocols provided,” Montero said in her speech.
According to additional information from the town government, the businesses are initially open for local Boholano tourists and patrons as domestic and international tourists are not allowed to entet Bohol.
Earlier, the governor said that Bohol will not reopen to tourists until the province can convince the tourists that it is safe to visit and also convince the locals that the visitors will not bring in the Covid virus.
The governor said it would take a robust system of polymerase chain reaction testing labs and contact tracing for both the visitors and the local residents to have the confidence to reopen the tourism industry.