The country will grant entry to vaccinated visitors from Feb 10, its government said, in an effort to boost a tourism sector decimated by the pandemic.

It had planned to reopen in December, but that was aborted over concerns about the Omicron variant.

“(This) will contribute significantly to job restoration, primarily in tourism-dependent communities, and in the reopening of businesses that have earlier shut down,” Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said in a statement yesterday.

She also said quarantine requirements will be removed for returning Filipinos from Feb 1, and for foreign tourists from Feb 10, but they must be vaccinated.

 - Reuters