Philippines Suspends Arrival Visa Issuance for Chinese Tourists... "Measure to Prevent Virus"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Philippine government announced that it will temporarily suspend the issuance of arrival visas (VUA) for Chinese tourists as a measure to prevent the novel coronavirus originating in China from entering the country. Since Chinese tourists account for more than 20% of all tourists in the Philippines, damage to the tourism industry is expected to be inevitable.

According to foreign media such as CNBC, on the 28th, Jaime Morente, head of the Philippine Immigration Bureau, stated, "We are temporarily suspending the issuance of VUAs for Chinese nationals to slow down the influx of Chinese group tourists," adding, "This is a measure to prevent the virus from entering." However, he emphasized that there is no order banning Chinese nationals from entering the Philippines itself. Although the issuance of arrival visas has been suspended, Chinese nationals can still apply for visas through Philippine embassies or consulates.

It is known that over 22% of tourists who visited the Philippines last year were Chinese, so the Philippine tourism industry is expected to suffer damage, but this is interpreted as a measure to prevent the spread of the virus. No confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in the Philippines yet. The suspension of arrival visa issuance in the Philippines is also expected to affect other Southeast Asian countries.

As the novel coronavirus rapidly spreads worldwide, countries are strengthening their quarantine systems. On this day, the Chinese National Health Commission announced that as of midnight, there were 4,515 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus across China, 6,973 suspected cases, and 106 deaths. Additionally, confirmed cases have been reported worldwide, including 5 in the United States, 5 in Singapore, 5 in Australia, 4 in Japan, 4 in South Korea, and 3 in France, spreading rapidly.

Meanwhile, an arrival visa refers to a type of entry visa issued upon arrival before immigration inspection. It can be issued more conveniently than a pre-arranged visa applied for in advance at the diplomatic mission of the host country.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.