Photo by Faq.ph
First and foremost, before the pandemic hit the tourism industry, tourism played an important role in the Philippine economy.The country boasts rich natural beauty in its many spectacular beaches, sunny weather, and rich bio-diversity.More than that, the Philippines’ unique and complex culture, as exemplified by its people, cuisine, and lifestyle, attracts many people to visit the country.
But when COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) came, everything was ruined, especially the tourism industry. Plenty of businesses are affected, such as impacting economies, livelihoods, public services, and opportunities on all continents. That is why a lot of people lost their jobs and closed their businesses totally back to zero.
The pandemic hit on March 8, 2020. Before that, we had a lot of plans for outings with family and friends, but we are stuck with all of them because of COVID-19. Because we still didn't have internet access during the first month of the pandemic, I had no idea what to do; all I could do was sleep, eat, and play with the kids. I watched the news for myself to know what's going on around me because I can't even go out.
Our families and relatives love to go to different places with beaches, but our plans did not go ahead because of the pandemic. My friends and I are also planning to go to Baguio. It is my first time, I think, because I can't remember my childhood memories. but it did not happen because of the pandemic. I also got a new circle of friends before the pandemic, and we talked about going out more often, likely swimming, but it did not occur because of the pandemic.
At least for the whole year of 2020, the Philippines is in lockdown and what makes a living for the people other than the relief goods and money they get from the government? It is expanding online selling and other small business initiatives of its people. Gradually, the return to the past is not easy because it is now called the "new normal." People used to wear face masks whenever they go out, and they always carry a bottle of alcohol for sanitation purposes, and there are some restaurants that can limit who can come in to eat. Not only in restaurants, but also in hospitals, grocery stores, public markets, and other places, a lot happened in the year 2020. There is some good news, but a lot of bad news because of the number of people dying because of the coronavirus.
In the year 2021, quarantine is loose because people aged 18 to 65 can come out at that time. But it has not been easy because of the different ways of announcing the state of what kind of lockdown they announce: ecq (enhance community quarantine), mecq (modified enhanced community quarantine), gcq (general community quarantine), or mgcq (modified general community quarantine). Some people can go out, like they can go to malls, but there are requirements like vaccination cards and identification cards. For transportation, if you are riding a private car, there is a protocol that 2 people can ride, and for public transportation, like a jeep, they put down plastic for a barrier, and for buses, one sits apart from the other.
The tourism industry continues to be one of the sectors hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for countries in the Asia-Pacific region and Western Hemisphere. Governments in these regions, and elsewhere, have taken measures to ease the economic shock to households and businesses, but in the longer term, the industry will need to adapt to a post-pandemic "new normal." The new travel normal may mean a shift to vacation rentals over hotels, driving rather than flying, and an increase in the use of travel insurance and personal travel advisors.
Now that we have gradually recovered, let's listen to what needs to be done to help lift our country. We can return to our old life, but we can do it like traveling to different parts of the world when everything goes well. Not immediately, but we can see that our country is getting better.
I hope you everyone have a good day and a blessed day. Always be happy and everything will be alright at the right time. I hope you enjoy my blog, and I hope to see you in my next one; thank you, and stay safe everyone!
