Industry contributed 13% to GDP in 2019 940,000 foreign travelers since February reopening MANILA: The Philippines is expecting a boost in its tourism recovery efforts with the lifting of its outdoor mask mandate, an official said on Tuesday, as the country hopes to catch up with most other Southeast Asian nations that have already done so. The archipelagic country known for its white sand beaches and famous diving spots reopened to fully vaccinated, COVID-19-negative foreign tourists in February after two years of pandemic-related border closures. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued on Monday an executive order allowing for the voluntary wearing of face masks outdoors, with more than 72 million out of its 110 million population fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The Department of Tourism said empirical data showed that lifting of stringent health protocols in other countries had led to an increase in tourists and a faster recovery of the industry. Myanmar is now the only country in Southeast Asia yet to ease their outdoor mask mandate. “The DOT is optimistic that the lifting of the mask mandate will allow the Philippines to gradually catch up in the race to (the) recovery of tourism in the ASEAN region,” Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said in a statement. “Our prospects for recovery are much brighter with the Philippines’ signal to the world that we are open, we are ready, and we are moving forward.” The Philippines’ economy is dependent on tourism, which in 2019 generated 2.51 trillion pesos ($44 billion) and made up nearly 13 percent of the country’s GDP, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. When the pandemic hit in 2020, most tourism destinations in the country were forced to shut down, dealing a major blow to the sector. Revenues from tourism plummeted to 973 billion pesos ($17 billion), with foreign arrivals slumping 82 percent. The country welcomed more than 940,000 foreign tourists traveling by air between February and August this year, compared to less than 150,000 international visitors last year. “With the President’s Executive Order and hopefully, the eventual recalibration of all remaining restrictions, the country will be able to strike the necessary balance between protecting lives and promoting livelihood(s),” Frasco said.