MANILA, PHILIPPINES – More than 7,200 hotels, resorts and other accommodation establishments (AEs) have been authorized by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to operate under different quarantine classifications and cater to different types of travelers, depending on their location and purpose.
“Not only will a Certificate of Authority to Operate (CAO) or a provisional CAO from DOT indicate the allowable operation of accommodation establishments, it likewise adds to guests’ confidence, knowing that these establishments have been inspected and are compliant with our protocols that follow globally-recognized health and safety standards. We are happy to see the numbers go up as more tourism destinations reopen for domestic travelers,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
The tourism chief announced that the regions with the highest number of hotels and resorts issued with CAOs and PCAOs by the DOT are Region 4-A with 1,303, Region 3 with 830, and Region 1 with 806.
Since the onset of quarantine restrictions in March, the DOT has been issuing CAOS and PCAOs to establishments to accommodate repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), essential workers and foreign and domestic tourists stranded due to travel restrictions.
Meanwhile, inbound travel to the Philippines for tourism remains restricted. Puyat said the DOT shall continue its coordination with national government agencies under the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), local government units (LGUs), and stakeholders to safely reopen more destinations for domestic tourism, and steer the industry to recovery.
“The DOT’s focus is to jumpstart domestic tourism first. We will continue our thorough inspection of the health and safety protocols in tourism establishments, so when non-essential travel among Filipinos and even inbound travel for leisure among foreign visitors are allowed, these will be ready,” assured Puyat.
The Secretary likewise encourages accommodation and other tourism-related establishments to apply for DOT accreditation which remains free-of-charge and can now be done online through an Online Accreditation System that the agency launched in September.
Visit www.philippines.travel/accreditation for the full list of AEs with DOT Certificate of Authority to Operate.
