Baguio closes doors to tourists from Manila, Luzon towns with COVID-19 spikes

By: Vincent Cabreza - 3 years ago

BAGUIO CITY –– The summer capital has closed its doors once more to tourists from Metro Manila and other communities stricken with high cases of coronavirus infections, Mayor Benjamin Magalong announced on Monday, March 22.

Also banned are leisure travelers from Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, and Bulacan, the mayor said.

“They make up 70 percent of our visitors, so we expect a downtrend, particularly this Holy Week,” which is traditionally a peak season for the city during summer, Magalong said.

Magalong braced the city for a drastic reduction in tourism arrivals because of the restrictions, which will last until April 4, the end of Holy Week.

Community testing in the city has also been accelerated.

Baguio accepted tourists in October last year to revive the industry most hurt by the Luzon lockdown in March 2020 and the subsequent quarantines.

Tourism establishments lost P1.6 billion for the bulk of the initial pandemic year.

LZB