Staycation, P2P leisure air travel allowed in GCQ: DOT

MANILA – Staycation and point-to-point (P2P) air travel for leisure will be allowed in areas placed under general community quarantine (GCQ), including in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite, collectively known as the NCR Plus, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Friday.

While only essential travel is allowed to and from the NCR Plus after it was categorized under “GCQ with heightened restriction,” the DOT said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has authorized the implementation of its “specialized markets” subject to observance of minimum public health standards. 

These specialized markets include the staycation program and the P2P air travel for leisure purposes from the NCR Plus area.

The department said P2P air travel from NCR Plus areas to a resort in places under GCQ or modified GCQ is allowed so long as it is via a chartered flight, which may involve short, private transfers by land or sea.

Only accommodation establishments that have been granted a Certificate of Authority to Operate for P2P may accept guests from NCR Plus.

Meanwhile, staycation for individuals 18 years to 65 years is only allowed in NCR Plus hotels that have been granted a Certificate of Authority to Operate for Staycation.

“The easing of restrictions in NCR Plus is good news for our tourism stakeholders. This means more tourism workers will go back to work, and economic activities will continue. Needless to say, there is no room for complacency. We need to observe the health and safety protocols in every destination that we wish to visit,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a statement.

Through Resolution 115-A, the IATF also permitted outdoor tourist attractions to open at 30 percent capacity with strict adherence to minimum public health standards.

Indoor dine-in services can also operate at 20 percent of venue or seating capacity, while outdoor or alfresco dining can open at 50 percent of venue or seating capacity.

Supporting the latest IATF decision, Romulo-Puyat said, “We are taking every little opening possible under the current quarantine condition. Every step, big or small, will support our tourism workforce and sustain our industry.”