AS the country’s borders have opened up to both foreign travelers and balikayans, and as many cities have opened their areas to domestic tourists, this provided an opportunity for the local tourism industry to bounce back after two years of hardships due to community lockdowns and other mobility restrictions.
This is why all properties under the SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) portfolio now have the Department of Tourism (DOT) Safety Seal given to accommodation establishments who faithfully comply with the Minimum Public Health Standards (MPHS) set by the government and integrate StaySafe.ph with their contact tracing.
Among the SMHCC properties that have successfully complied and passed the Safety Seal Certification Program led by the DOT, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Health (DOH), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) were Taal Vista Hotel, Pico Sands Hotel, Conrad Manila, Radisson Blu Cebu, Park Inn by Radisson Hotels (North Edsa, Clark, Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao), and SMX Convention Centers (Manila, SM Aura, and Davao)
Complementing DOT’s Safety Seal, Radisson Blu Cebu, Park Inn by Radisson Davao, and Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo have likewise been conferred the world’s first-ever global safety and hygiene seal, the Safe Travel Stamp, issued by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) in recognition of the hotels’ compliance with WTTC’s safe travel protocols.
The issuance of the DOT Safety Seal manifests SMHCC’s commitment to ensure the utmost comfort and safety of its guests and employees. With its stringent protocols under the “SustainablySafe” Program, SMHCC leaves no stone unturned and follows intensive sets of policies, while applying efficient and methodical procedures.
“The DOT’s Safety Seal literally serves as a stamp of approval, giving our guests the assurance that they need when staying in our properties, and is a testament to SMHCC’s uncompromising health and safety standards. Strengthened by our very own ‘SustainablySafe’ Program, we have ably primed our properties for the new normal and gained our guests’ confidence, making their safety our topmost priority,” Peggy Angeles, SMHCC Executive Vice President, told FrontpagePH.com.
The DOT strongly encouraged all hospitality establishments to acquire the DOT Safety Seal for Establishments (hotels, resorts, apartment hotels, and other accredited accommodation establishments), travel and tour services, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) venues or facilities and restaurants inside hotels/resorts.