Philippines gets Safe Travels stamp from tourism body

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is the 100th destination to receive the Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which recognizes the adoption of global health and hygiene protocols.

“We welcome the Philippines, an incredible destination and home to some of the world’s most beautiful islands, as our 100th destination as well as other popular destinations around the globe such as Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia and Kenya,” WTTC president and chief executive officer Gloria Guevara said in a statement.

“The 100 destinations, which now proudly use the stamp, are working together to help rebuild consumer confidence worldwide,” Guevara added.

The WTTC’s Safe Travels stamp, which it launched three months ago, is the world’s first ever global safety and hygiene stamp.

The body said the specially designed stamp enables travelers to recognize destinations around the world that have adopted health and hygiene global standardized protocols, so travelers can experience “Safe Travels.”

“The stamp, which was developed in order to help restore confidence in travelers and work to revive an ailing travel and tourism sector, is now also being used by many more major holiday destinations such as the Maldives, Bermuda, Namibia, Uganda and Montenegro,” the WTTC said.

The launch of the stamp was also supported by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Guevara said the success of the Safe Travels stamp shows its importance not only to countries and destinations, but also to travelers and the 330 million people around the world who work in and depend on a thriving travel and tourism sector.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat expressed delight in the awarding of the WTTC Safe Travel stamp to the Philippines.

“The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) is delighted to be awarded the WTTC Safe Travels stamp, particularly as we pursue the safe and gradual reopening of our tourist destinations. I wish to thank the WTTC for recognizing our efforts of putting in place policies concerning health, safety and sanitation protocols, which we have benchmarked with global best practices and aligned with WTTC’s standards,” Puyat said.