By HENRY EMPEÑO | June 17, 2021

IBA, Zambales — Slowly, safely, surely.

Despite the onset of rains and safety restrictions from the lingering Covid-109 pandemic, local tourism stakeholders, from fruit vendors to hotel owners, are now hoping to catch up with the tail-end of the summer season when beaches and mountain resorts in the province become in demand.

This anticipation is shared by the Zambales Tourism Office, which sent out an online invitation two weeks ago for “safe and worry-free travel” in the province—the first time it did so since the Covid-19 pandemic began 15 months ago.

“Whenever you’re ready, we are ready,” the Tourism Office said, urging visitors to ride the waves, explore exciting trails, and fall in love with nature all over again.

Zambales, which was among the most visited destinations in Central Luzon, received more than 755,000 tourists in 2019. The Department of Tourism (DOT) in Region 3 estimated that this number of arrivals generated some P1.9 billion in tourism expenditure.

But beach resorts and hotels, tour guides and campsite staff, souvenir makers and even roadside fruit sellers have fallen on hard times since then when Covid-19 took its toll on the travel industry.

Now hope springs fresh with the May 25 memorandum circular issued by Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., which sought the experimental re-opening of the provincial tourism industry, albeit with much caution.

SAFE AND FUN

Under Ebdane’s order, a total of 38 hotels, resorts and accommodation establishments—out of hundreds of such facilities scattered across Zambales—have been allowed to accept visitors.

Zambales tourism officer Domitela Mora said these accredited hotels and resorts have been rigorously inspected by Department of Tourism (DOT)-Region 3 and municipal joint inspection teams to enforce their compliance with health safety guidelines and accommodation standards.

“With safety protocols and health standards in place, Zambales is a safe and fun destination under the new normal,” Mora said.

At the moment, 10 out of the 13 towns in the provinces have establishments that can readily admit visitors under stringent health protocols. These are Subic, which has Whiterock Beach Hotel & Waterpark, Krrels Family Resort, Aplaya Del Subic Capati Resort, and ARA-J Lodge; San Antonio, which has eight beach resorts—Hidaway, Arirang, Canoe, Megan’s Paradiso, Destinare, Pearl Island, Pundaquit Luxury, and Youhan.

In San Narciso town, there are six accredited beach resorts: Kakay, La Paz Crystal, Prince JB, Casa Virginia, Trinidad, and Zambawood; San Felipe has three—Zamba Villas, Zambali Woods, and LJV; Cabangan has Villa Mi Amor Resort and Hotel; while Botolan has Haven, C&J Sunset View, Indira, Haya,  Inner Circle, and Sundowners.

Further up north, the capital town of Iba has The Roof Bed and Breakfast, Mango Tree Inn, Tammy’s, Chloe Belle Del Monte Carlo, and Funtasea; Palauig has Armada Resort; Masinloc boasts of D’Farm and Park, and Maria’s Hotel; while Candelaria has Dawal Beach, and Potipot Gateway.

Aside from lodging, these accredited establishments have been allowed to host weddings, seminars, conferences, birthday celebrations, reunions and other events under strict health safety protocols.

SAFETY MEASURES

The reopening of Zambales to tourists happily coincided with the June 1 resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), which allowed residents of all ages from the National Capital Region and the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and to travel point-to-point to areas under modified GCQ.

Still, this was no cause for Zambales to be lax in safety requirements, Gov. Ebdane told Business Mirror.

“While (NCR-Plus residents) are allowed and can travel as authorized, we maintain the same health protocol by which no person is allowed entry unless certified Covid-19 negative. Otherwise, they have to undergo RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests upon arrival at our provincial boundaries,” Ebdane said.

“If they are traveling as tourists, they still have to accomplish VisITA forms,” the governor added.

VisITA, which stands for Zambales Information and Travel Assistance, is the official web-based travel management and tourism promotion platform (https://visita.zambales.gov.ph) that travelers intending to stay overnight in Zambales need to access to register their upcoming travel and upload required documents.

Registering at VisITA would also entail booking at DOT-accredited establishments, which are allowed to operate at only 30 percent capacity.

Meanwhile, the establishments allowed to host social events must also secure clearance from the municipal mayor and the municipal health officer before guests can register with VisITA for the planned events.

The Zambales Tourism Office has clarified recently that saliva tests performed by laboratories authorized by the Department of Health are accepted in place of RT-PCR tests for the negative RT-PCR results required upon entry in the province.

PREPARATIONS

Local tourism stakeholders, meanwhile, welcomed the re-opening and agreed to the requirements discussed during a meeting between Zambales officials and local resort owners last month.

On May 27, employees of the accredited tourism establishments that joined Phase 1 of the local tourism reopening program subjected themselves to SARS CoV-2 antigen testing as a first step in ensuring the safety of their business and in preparation for the arrival of visitors.

Reports from the town of Botolan indicated that all 67 tourism employees from the three accredited accommodation establishments tested negative of the Covid-19 virus.

The same was true for the 44 hotel and resort workers in San Narciso during the first batch of testing undertaken by the local health unit.

Zambales, which faces the West Philippine Sea, has one of the longest coastlines in the Philippines and is naturally popular for its beaches and island resorts.

It is also emerging to be a huge adventure tourism site because of Mt. Pinatubo in Botolan town and Mt. Tapulao in Palauig, which is the highest mountain in Central Luzon, as well as numerous lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and caves. ~