Visitors in Manila’s historic Intramuros up as mobility restrictions ease 

VISITORS recorded in Intramuros, the walled city in Manila built during the Spanish colonization, reached more than 38,000 as of Feb. 23, up from 28,855 in January, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

“The increase in visitors in Intramuros’ various sites reflects the optimism and confidence in travel,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a statement on Thursday.

“With its vast open-space, lush gardens, and the strict implementation of health and safety protocols, Intramuros is an ideal site to visit in the new normal. Under Alert Level 2, physical distancing, contact tracing, and the maximum number of visitors per site are strictly observed in the walled city,” she added. 

Intramuros sites that are open to the public include Fort Santiago (weekdays: 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; weekends: 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.); Casa Manila Museum (weekends only: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and Baluarte de San Diego (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily). — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave