A group of local hotel and restaurant owners has welcomed the provincial government’s move to reopen its doors to leisure travelers.
In an interview on Monday, Antique Association of Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Owners (AAHRRO) vice president for external affairs, Neil Huele, said this decision of the Antique Inter-Agency Task Force on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) will help them recover from the economic impact of the pandemic.
“There are around 50 AAHRRO members who are owners of the hotels, resorts, and restaurants who had been affected because of the travel restriction due to Covid-19 in the province,” he said.
He said travel restrictions implemented since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in losses because they have no guests.
“We are happy that the Antique Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19 had allowed leisure travelers from Panay island and even from other places to already visit the province,” he said.
In Executive Order (EO) 187-A issued on Oct. 16, Governor Rhodora Cadiao allowed the conduct of leisure activities in the province.
Under the EO, tourists coming from areas within Western Visayas must be fully vaccinated and must present a copy of their reservations in the hotels, resorts, and restaurants in the province that are AAHRRO members and accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Office 6 and Safe, Swift & Smart Passage (S-Pass) at border checkpoints.
Meanwhile, those who are coming from other areas will still be required to secure a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result and S-Pass before they can be allowed to enter the province.
Source: Philippines News Agency
