The Department of Tourism (DOT) in the Ilocos Region has launched a pass system that facilitates the visit of tourists from other regions as it also serves for contact tracing and monitoring purposes.

In an interview on Monday, DOT Ilocos regional director Joseph Francisco Ortega said the tourist pass system, region1.tarana.ph, was created as an integrated information system where tourists from outside the region will register.

“This is a separate system from local stranded individuals and overseas Filipino workers. It was made for tourists’ registration only. As compared to manual listing, the system provides less exposure and (is) less costly,” he said.

Ortega said tourists, upon registration, will need to upload the requirements and then wait for approval from the local government unit of their target destination.

Through the system, he said tourists can access lists of requirements of the local government in their target destination, as well as lists of DOT-accredited accommodations, tour guides, hotels, restaurants, and itineraries.

“The provinces of La Union, Ilocos Norte, and Ilocos Sur require booking with travel and tour operators to monitor the movement of tourists in their localities since there is still the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid0-19) pandemic,” he added.

However, Ortega said the Ilocos Region is not yet accepting leisure travels from the National Capital Region, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.

Meanwhile, Pangasinan opted not to require mandatory booking in travel and tour operators due to its vast area and some parts do not have access to stable signal for internet connectivity, he said.

“The information provided by the tourists will be automatically deleted after 30 days,” he said. (PNA)