The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance mandating all non-Baguio residents, tourists, excursionists, pilgrims and same day visitors to register on the Baguio Visitors Information and Travel Assistance (VISITA) online application prior to or upon entering or attending identified tourism establishments or events or availing of tourism services.
Under the proposed ordinance authored by Councilors Elmer Datuin, Vladimir Cayabas and Lilia Farinas, there shall be a mandatory registration for all non-Baguio residents entering the city as tourists, excursionists, pilgrims, and same day visitors to register with the Baguio VISITA online platform and secure a VISITA pass prior or upon entry to the city, particularly for overnight or event guest of accommodation establishments such as, but not limited to hotels, resorts, tourist inns, apartels, pension houses, motels, home stay sites, eco lodges, services residences, condotels, transient lodging houses and other similar establishments; attendees or participants of meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions activities and other organized social, business, educational, including government examinations or adventure or sport meets, events and gatherings held in public, private and commercial venues and passengers of provincial transport network vehicle services, tourist transport services and other public convenience plying to and from the city; participants of organized city tours, such as but not limited to tour joiners, tour packages and educational tours and field trips and visitors entering tourist attractions and sites, such as but not limited to open parks, gardens and tourist sites, museums and galleries, amusement and recreational facilities, wellness and sports facilities and shops.
However, the ordinance encouraged but did not mandate guests and visitors of secondary tourism enterprises such as but not limited to restaurants and bars, department stores, gas stations and motor vehicle services, hospitals or shopping malls to register and secure visitor’s pass from the said platform.
The ordinance stipulated that managers, organizers and operators of tourism activities, services, enterprises and venues shall check the registration of their guests, participants and/or visitors by inspection and validation either manually, visually or digitally of the issued visitor pass presented either in e-copy or hard copy form.
The ordinance tasked the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to randomly check in plain view all vehicles carrying tourists, excursionists, pilgrims or same day visitors if passengers, including the driver are registered to VISITA with the required pass and require those who are not registered to register.
Further, barangay officials are enjoined to monitor all tourism-oriented and tourism-related establishments and facilities in the performance of the aforesaid functions within their respective jurisdiction.
The Baguio Tourism Council, the operator of the VISITA online platform, with the assistance of the City Tourism Office, shall at best effort provide for the accessibility and smooth operations of the platform and secure the data collected and that the same shall only be used for authorized purposes and within the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
