ANGELES CITY — To help revive the tourism sector in Pangasinan, the Bolinao Business Tourism Association, Inc. (BBTA) on January 30 filed an appeal to the Pangasinan provincial government to allow guests from areas under the modified general community quarantine to come to the town.
The BBTA cited data that tourists coming to Bolinao are mostly from the Central Luzon provinces and cities as Tarlac, Pampanga, Angeles City, Olongapo City, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, and Bulacan which fall under the MGCQ status.
“We would greatly appreciate it if you would allow the opening of Bolinao to guests coming from other MGCQ areas. This would greatly augment and revive tourism in Bolinao which in turn would redound to the benefits of our employees with chain reactions to market suppliers such as event organizers, food suppliers, items vendors, artists, tricycle drivers, boatmen, tourist guides, and many more,” read the appeal letter addressed to Gov. Amado I. Espino III.
BBTA underscored the urgency of the appeal in anticipation of the coming peak tourist season in February to May.
On the assumption of drawing arrivals from MGCQ areas, BBTA emphasized the importance of necessary health protocols already in place in various business establishments and beach resorts.
“We have been trained to control crowds through online booking and coordination with one another, not to mention the fact that we continue to police ourselves as we have been trained in the past months,” the statement said.
“We also appeal that the testing (RT-PCR swab test or antigen) be dispensed with. Strict health protocols on submission of health certificates of no Covid-19 symptoms and valid identification of guests, coupled with strict requirement of face masks, face shields, social distancing, disinfecting and sanitizing are already being strictly enforced and found to be effective,” it added.
The BBTA expressed hope for the approval of their appeal as it would help augment the local economy, revive businesses, and help their employees rise up amid the pandemic.
