The number of tourists in Baguio City this December will soon reach pre-pandemic levels, based on the preliminary number of the Baguio Tourism Office.
According to the agency’s latest data, nearly 80,000 tourists have visited the city from December 1 to 19.
According to them, the number does not include authorized persons outside of residence (APOR) and official city visitors.
Another 75,000 are expected to come to tourist spots in the city from December 24 until New Year’s Eve.
According to the local government, up to 180,000 people will come to Baguio by December 2021, the same number as in 2019 without a pandemic.
It signals the city’s gradual recovery from a two-year economic downturn for some residents.
According to them, this is also the focus of the next president-elect.
“Since Baguio is a tourist destination the next president could team up either [with] the LGU or the provincial gov’t of Benguet para maparami pa ang mga taong magkakainteres dito para bumangon ang economy ng Baguio and the entire province of Benguet,” said Maria Lourdes Guinto, a resident of Baguio City.
Number of tourists in Baguio City this December reaching pre-pandemic levels
“And of course with all the protocols in place maganda naman protocols na ini-instill ng Baguio tourism and maibsan ang sakit para ma-enjoy ng locals and tourists para ‘yung mga negosyante makabawi,” she added.
But entering the city is not for nothing. First, you need to register on the visitor information site and wait to be approved and given a QR code. The hotel where the tourists will stay must also be accredited by the tourism office.
“Our host, the residents, hotels, and restaurants, the business establishments that are opened, they have been the first line of defense and to really impose and remind our visitors that we are still in the pandemic, we cannot afford to lose our guard,” said Alec Palo, tourism officer of Baguio City.
“At this time when we are reaching this point na maganda na ‘yung kaso, zero cases and therefore the tourists will simply have to abide to what’s going to be told them.”
There have been no recorded cases of COVID-19 in Baguio City, and the city hopes to maintain it until the next few days.
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