Philippines scraps testing/travel insurance requirements

Melburnian1

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Jun 7, 2013
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Philippines has just announced that from 30 May 2022, it's scrapping mandatory travel insurance and pre-departure tests for travellers.

The only requirement for the latter to apply is that one must have had a 'course' of vaccines plus a booster shot, so the effect is that Australians who've had three shots will be eligible.

This is the sort of decision that will see tourism again doing very well, although word has to get out.

We're approaching low season for this part of southeast Asia - I'd call the relevant months June or July to the end of November or even a bit into December, as August to occasionally late December is typhoon season. However, despite visiting more than once, I've fortunately never experienced a typhoon.

I particularly dislike visiting nations like Philippines in July and especially August as it's typically very humid, which as a southeastern Australian I find difficult, just as I minimise visiting Cairns/Darwin during wet season in say January.

As I've not been to this nation for a significant time, AFFers should refer to Bensadventures and his recent Thai/Philippines travel report for the most up-to-date social conditions such as wearing of masks (which he says was 'everywhere in Metro Manila but less and less as one veered away from the capital).

Philippine Airlines is flying five days a week from Melbourne (A321s with 12 lie-flat in J until supposedly 30 June 2022, then allegedly back to the widebody A333s with 1-2-1 in J), the same frequency from SYD (a mix of A321s, but A333s on Fri and Sat ex SYD) and twice weekly Sat/Sun from BNE. Qantas by September should be flying daily from SYD. No news on whether Cebu Pacific will resume the Australia routes MNL to SYD and MEL, but I bet this decision makes it consider so doing.

Great news for those Filipinos who were employed in hotels and who lost their jobs during COVID, as so many worldwide in hospitality sadly have. My prayer is that employment in these establishments will gradually return to pre-COVID levels as tourism to Philippines was booming until very early in calendar 2020 and then naturally crashed like a meteorite.
 
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