The Department of Tourism is covering half of the cost of COVID-19 swab tests in the Philippine General Hospital for qualified tourists.
In the statement, the DOT will subsidize 50% of the cost of the RT-PCR test which is required for many destinations like Boracay, Palawan and etc.
The RT-PCR test costs Php1,800 for scheduled walk-through patients. An estimated 11,000 qualified domestic tourists can get their RT-PCR test from PGH with half of the cost covered by the DOT.
According to the DOT, this is to help the tourism industry and to promote safe travel. Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat shared that they are closely working with the Tourism Promotions Board to make sure that the tourism destinations are ready to accept tourists and with strict safety and health protocols.
“I encourage our kababayans to book their travels now, and hope that this initiative will break the barrier for our domestic tourists to actually make plans, especially in this Christmas season,” Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
Tourists must register at https://www.tpb.gov.ph/rtpcrphtravel/to apply for the subsidy. Registration must be five days before departure and submit a copy of a valid government-issued ID, a copy of a confirmed accommodation booking, and proof of transportation ticket for the appropriate mode of travel.
After registration, the approved application will get access to UP-PGH’s portal for the swab testing schedule.
The RT-PCR swab testing budget by the DOT is at Php9.99M and is a part of the tourism Promotions Board’s Safe Bangon Turismo campaign.
