Tourist arrivals in the city have considerably improved last June but the actual number remains below the city’s target.
Records of the City Tourism Office showed a total number of arrivals of 12,030 visitors for June which according to City Tourism Operations Officer Aloysius Mapalo is a “big jump” from the previous months with a measly 515 in April and 2,189 last May.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the daily tourist data remains below the city’s target of 3,000 tourists daily even during weekends.
“We were looking at reducing our target number of visitors as a contingency measure against the possible surge in cases due to increased mobility and the threat of the Delta variant, but our actual numbers are still low and still manageable so we will just continue to monitor and be more strict in our border protocols,” the mayor said.
Data from the Baguio Visita (Visitor Information and Travel Assistant), the city’s online registration system for Baguio tourists and travelers showed a big disparity between the number of travel requests and actual arrivals.
For June, the city received more than 40,000 requests but the actual arrival was only 12,030.
“But this is a big jump from the previous month. Obviously, Manila tourists brought in the number for June,” Mapalo said.
The city began accepting tourists from the National Capital Region plus when prohibitions were lifted starting June 1.
It hopes to further perk up the industry with the waiving of the test requirement for fully vaccinated individuals starting July 5.
Magalong, however, assured that precautionary measures will continue to be implemented to avoid transmissions.
The city’s economy heavily relies on tourism that is why incessant efforts are exerted to gradually and safely open the industry but with strict adherence to the implementation of minimum health protocols. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
April 17, 2024
