Zambales eases travel rules for tourists

The Anawangin Cove in San Antonio town is among the best places to watch the sunrise in Zambales province. | PHOTO: Joanna Rose Aglibot

SAN ANTONIO, Zambales––Tourists are no longer required to apply for an approved quick-response of QR-coded travel pass (QTP) when visiting this province starting Sunday, March 20.

In an advisory, the Zambales Tourism Office said it suspended its Visitor Information and Travel Assistance (VISITA) system “to undergo development for post-pandemic use.”

But it encouraged visitors to book with Department of Tourism (DOT)-accredited establishments and bring their vaccination cards since several establishments would require them.

More tourists have been coming to the province since January, when the testing requirement for vaccinated tourists was also scrapped.

The province was placed under the most lenient COVID-19 alert level 1 amid a downward trend in COVID-19 cases.

As of Monday, six of 13 towns in the province had no active cases. These are Iba, Subic, San Narciso, San Antonio, Sta. Cruz, and San Felipe.

Since the pandemic broke out in 2020, Zambales has recorded 11,595 COVID-19 cases with 11,238 recoveries and 656 deaths.

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