Talks are underway for a quarantine-free travel bubble between the Philippines and the South Korea, as the South-east Asian country looks to gradually reopen its borders to revive its pandemic-hit tourism industry.
If the plan goes through, it would be the first travel bubble arrangement for the Philippines since the start of the pandemic.
South Korea is the Philippines’ top source market; Chocolate Hills in Bohol pictured
Philippines tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat told Bloomberg in an interview that the two countries are in the midst of discussing the quarantine requirements for when the visitors return to South Korea.
While South Korean travellers are keen to arrange chartered flights to Bohol, the quarantine requirement for when they return to their home country poses an issue, she said.
Romulo-Puyat expressed hope that with increasing vaccination rates and declining Covid-19 cases, that governments will scrap the quarantine requirement for people returning to their countries.
She added that while the government is considering travel bubble arrangements with other destinations, it is South Korea – the Philippines’ top source market – that has shown interest in travelling to the country.
Talks are underway for a quarantine-free travel bubble between the Philippines and the South Korea, as the South-east Asian country looks to gradually reopen its borders to revive its pandemic-hit tourism industry.
If the plan goes through, it would be the first travel bubble arrangement for the Philippines since the start of the pandemic.
Philippines tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat told Bloomberg in an interview that the two countries are in the midst of discussing the quarantine requirements for when the visitors return to South Korea.
While South Korean travellers are keen to arrange chartered flights to Bohol, the quarantine requirement for when they return to their home country poses an issue, she said.
Romulo-Puyat expressed hope that with increasing vaccination rates and declining Covid-19 cases, that governments will scrap the quarantine requirement for people returning to their countries.
She added that while the government is considering travel bubble arrangements with other destinations, it is South Korea – the Philippines’ top source market – that has shown interest in travelling to the country.