Sagada, Mountain Province – The municipal government announced that the proposed opening of the local tourism industry by the end of the month remains uncertain because of the continuous surge in the dreaded Corona Virus Disease (COVID) 2019 cases in the municipality over the past several weeks.
Mayor James Pooten stated that there is a need to continue striking a balance between the health and safety of the populace and visitors and the proposed gradual and safe revival of the local economy because of the serious negative impact of the ongoing health crisis to the job generation and economic activities of the people in the locality.
He claimed that the repeated postponement of the gradual and safe opening of the local tourism industry will pave the way for the concerned stakeholders to put in place the online registration of prospective tourists wanting to spend a well-deserved vacation in the future following reported glitches in the said system.
Mayor Pooten disclosed that there are some problems being encountered by the system, especially on the proposed online payment, that is why it will be best for the concerned stakeholders to make do with the initial online booking to allow the roll out of the system once the local tourism industry will be opened for interested travelers from the different parts of the world. Earlier, the municipal government planned to gradually and slowly open the local tourism industry last September but the same was put on hold because of the surges in COVID-19 cases that was triggered by the more infectious Delta variant.
According to him, the municipal inter-agency task force will be holding a meeting in the coming days to discuss the possibility of gradually and slowly opening the town’s tourism industry.
Sagada is one of the premier tourist destinations in the country because of its scenic destinations that are frequented by both foreign and domestic tourists.