SAGADA, Mountain Province – The municipal government recently increased the number of daily tourist arrivals in the mystical town from the previous 300 visitors to 500 as part of the ongoing efforts of the local government to allow the gradual and safe revival of the local economy.
Mayor James Pooten claimed that the municipal inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases will continue to assess the prevailing situation with the increase in daily tourist arrivals to guide the members in their future decisions to further increase the number of daily visitors after the celebration of the new year.
He pointed out that the municipal government is allowing the entry of vaccinated tourists who have existing bookings with the various accredited accommodation establishments for at least one day to ensure their compliance to the ongoing implementation of the minimum public health standards.
However, he admitted that the limit in the number of daily tourists in the municipality is not actually being exceeded as of press time but he expressed confidence that the easing up of the community quarantine restrictions will help in enticing prospective visitors to make the municipality one of their priority destination.
Tourists that are approved to enter the municipality after being granted the registration from the local government’s online registration platform, umali.kayo-sagada.com.ph, will have to bring with them their vaccination cards as proof and that they will still be subjected to the regular triaging at the Pegeo triage center which is along the Dantay-Sagada Road.
According to him, personnel manning the Pegeo checkpoint and triage center were able to turn away some tourists who are interested to visit the municipality but they were not able to register in the online registration platform or were not able to possess the required documents for them to be allowed entry in the municipality as visitors.
Mayor Pooten explained that children who are 12 years old and below must be accompanied by their parents or guardians to ensure their compliance to the implementation of the minimum public health standards at all times up prevent the occurrence of untoward incidents that may cause the untimely surge in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases which might affect the momentum of the local government and concerned stakeholders to recover from the heavy impact inflicted by the pandemic to the economic activities of the people in the locality over the past 21 months.
He appealed to tourists that are interested to visit the municipality who are not able to select their schedules in the online registration platform to bear with the said inconveniences because it is part of the restrictions that are being implemented by the inter-agency task force to ensure that those who will be visiting the municipality are healthy and safe for the benefit of the local residents who will be hosting them.
Sagada is one of the premier tourist destinations in the north because of its natural sceneries and its cool weather condition that entices foreign and domestic tourists to spend their well-deserved beak and enjoy the sceneries and weather suitable for their desired vacation. By HENT
