Baguio City suspends VISITA applications

Have plans to head up to Baguio City sometime soon? Better reschedule that. If the sudden surge of cases across the country hasn't stopped your plans to travel, the Baguio City local government unit (LGU) has announced that they will no longer be accepting new visitors into the City of Pines.

According to the LGU's official advisory, leisure travel requests made through Baguio Visita will be temporarily suspended starting January 2, 2022. Subsequently, all pending travel requests are considered rejected and will not be allowed entry.

But what if you already have a previously approved request with a QR-coded Tourist Pass (QTP)? Per the LGU, these will still be honored, and individuals will be allowed entry during their declared travel dates. They will, however, be subject to mandatory triage. The announcement also adds that “such allowed entry may change in the future but with prior announcement”.

For APORS and other individuals making an essential trip to Baguio City, they may register via this website.

The decision for Baguio City to close its borders to tourists is in light of the new Omicron variant and the sudden rise of new cases across the country. Considering how quickly the virus is spreading, maybe going out of town isn't the best thing to do right now. If you do have an approved QTP and plan to continue your trip to Baguio, remember to follow minimum health standards.