News and Updates
DOT: reclassification of industries to hasten recovery
The Department of Tourism (DOT) expressed optimism for tourism’s speedy recovery with the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) to reclassify industries for the continued reopening of the economy.
IATF Resolution No. 99, signed today (12 February 2021), approved, among others, the recommendation to further reopen and expand business/industries, following the criteria developed by the Department of Health (DOH) with the observance of minimum protocols on health and safety (MPHS), as appropriate, and subject to the issuance of implementing guidelines and oversight of the appropriate agency and the local government unit (LGU) where they may be.
“With this development, we see the revitalization of the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) sector in General Community Quarantine (GCQ) areas and eventually, restoring our competitive advantage in the region. We also expect social events, though on limited scale, to resuscitate our accredited establishments, parks, historical landmarks, museums and other event locations, uplifting businesses along the value chain and more importantly, addressing employment and underemployment concerns,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat enthused.
Covered in the IATF Resolution are driving schools; traditional cinemas, and video- and interactive- game arcades; libraries, archives, museums, and cultural centers; meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE), and limited social events at accredited establishments of the Department of Tourism; and, limited tourist attractions (e.g. parks, theme parks, natural sites, and historical landmarks).
The DOT will soon come out with implementing guidelines for the operation, even under GCQ, of MICE and social events in DOT-accredited establishments, as well as for tourist attractions. These will specify their operational capacity, the conditions for their operations, and the health and safety protocols to mitigate risks following DOH’s risk framework.
Published:February 22, 2021
Recent News
