Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippines has welcomed morethan 100,000 foreign visitors since the Southeast Asian country reopened itsborder in February.
As of mid-March, inbound visitor arrivals had reached102,031, the highest level since the country closed its border due to theemergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Philippine Secretary of Tourism Bernadette Romulo-Puyat told media.
Foreign tourists will help recover tourism and the reopeningof borders is hoped to create jobs and ensure income for workers in the sector,she said.
Under the new regulations, the country allowed fully-vaccinatedforeign nationals from visa-free countries and regions to enter in February.
It will further ease COVID-19 restrictions this month, grantingentry to all fully-vaccinated foreign nationals.
Statistics showed that tourists from the US topped arrivals,followed by Canada, the UK, the Republic of Korea and Australia.
As a key economic driver, the tourism industry'scontribution to the Philippines' gross domestic product stood at 12.7 percentin 2019, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The pandemic has badly hit the tourism sector, forcinghotels and airlines to lay off staff. Almost 1.1 million workers in the industrywere affected.
ಌ Although the numbers are still far from pre-pandemic levels,they will continue to increase amid the sustained decline in COVID-19 cases inthe Philippines as well as ongoing efforts of the government to improve itshealthcare capacity, Puyat said./.
The Philippines reported 18,638 new COVID-19 cases on January 28, raising the national tally to more than 3.51 million, according to the country’s Department of Health.
Singapore's health ministry reported a record 26,032 COVID-19 infections on February 22, saying it may take a few weeks before the current transmission wave peaks and subsides.
The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 951 new COVID-19 infections on February 28, the lowest since December 29 last year, bringing the nation’s total caseload to 3,661,997.
The Philippines' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the emergency use authorisation to China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for children, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said on March 14.
In his article, Oscar Sanchez Serra highlighted President Ho Chi Minh’s founding of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper on June 21, 1925, which marked the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press rooted in a bold and far-sighted vision.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Boracay beach in the Philippines (Photo: AFP) 
