The Department of Tourism (DOT) recently announced the vaccination of 95.78 percent of tourism workers employed in accredited dive establishments across the Philippines, signalling the readiness of this niche market to the eventual reopening of the country to foreign visitors.
Based on the latest data received from 105 Dive Establishments (DEs) and Liveaboards Dive Establishments (LDEs) that are accredited by the DOT’s Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD), 1,342 or 95.78 percent out of 1,401 employees have already been inoculated (first dose and fully vaccinated) against COVID-19, while the remaining 59 employees (4.21 percent) are still for vaccination.
Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat welcomed the development, saying that the vaccination of workers in the dive sector will add to the overall readiness of the country to welcome foreign visitors, as well as help in further strengthening its position as one of the leading dive destinations globally.
“The DOT shall continue to work with other national and local government agencies as well as our stakeholders in the private sector to vaccinate all tourism workers in the country as soon as possible. Now that our borders are being eased to foreign visitors, it is imperative to protect our workforce against the virus,” said Puyat.
