Homegrown brands and MSMEs will take center stage at the Old Manila Eco Market in Intramuros, Manila.
Intramuros is ready and prepared for its reopening following the easing of quarantine restrictions and the minimum health and safety standards set for parks, plazas, open spaces, heritage sites, and museums," said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
COMMITTED to luring back visitors and contribute in the revival of the tourism industry, the Intramuros Administration (IA) is bringing back the Old Manila Eco- Market as its way of supporting the micro, small, and medium enterprises that have been affected by the pandemic.
Old Manila Ecomarket from Facebook
The open-air shopping and dining will be open from 6 AM to 9 PM daily.
Entrance is free at the Filipino-made, eco-friendly market at Pook Alitaptap, behind Museo de Intramuros. Open to ages 15 to 65, health and safety protocols will still be observed.
Home-grown brands such as Destileria Limtuangco & Co., Inc. and Balay Organiko will be participating with other stores selling regional products, local crafts, native vegetables, and more. Cashless transactions will be accepted.
To recall, the Walled City reopened to visitors last February 17 under a limited capacity.
"Intramuros is ready and prepared for its reopening following the easing of quarantine restrictions and the minimum health and safety standards set for parks, plazas, open spaces, heritage sites, and museums," said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
Visitors must register to IA's contact tracing application staysafe.ph, available on GooglePlay and the AppStore.
Visitors need to register for entry to all non-gated destinations and gated destinations namely Fort Santiago, Casa Manila Museum, and Baluarte De San Diego.
Fort Santiago from zenrooms
BamBikes from iwander
The Bambike service of rented bamboo bikes around Intramuros is also once again available.
However, the dungeons, Museo ni Rizal, ASEAN Gardens, and other sites are not yet open until further notice.
In the long run, IA has announced plans to open its gated open-air sites to host essential activities and events including work meetings, workshops, seminars, congresses, conferences, conventions, board meetings, colloquia, conclaves, symposia, and consumer trade shows or product launches with strict abeyance with the minimum public health requirements, and in compliance with health and safety protocols.
During the pandemic, one of the ways IA managed to reach out to Intramuros City visitors is by providing Virtual Tours through live video feeds from inside the walled city.
Some tours are still available today from Bambike Ecotours, the online learning platform Suyo Mano, DOT, and IA.
For more information and further updates, visit the Intramuros Administration's Facebook page. (HD)