Authorities of the DR work together with the private sector to protect tourists
The Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic today expressed its sincere condolences to the families and friends of those affected by the tragic events that have been reported during the last weeks in the country, adding that it is working closely with the appropriate authorities to resolve these cases as quickly as possible.
“All visitors are very important to us,” said Tourism Minister Francisco Javier García. “The Ministry’s most important responsibilities are to ensure that the highest industry standards are met so that all tourists are safe when they visit. At the same time, it must also work to provide a definitive response to affected families.
The Dominican Republic has served as a model for other destinations in terms of operations and industry standards. This can be seen in the following statistics reported by the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic:
- In 2018, 6.6 million tourists visited the Dominican Republic, of which 3.2 million came from the United States and Canada.
- Almost 30 million tourists have visited the Dominican Republic in the last five years.
- According to a survey conducted in 2018 by the same institution:
o 99% of tourists from the United States said they would return to our country on vacation and 94% rated our tourist services as excellent.
o 94% of tourists from Canada said they would return to our country and 97% rated our tourist services as excellent. - In 2017, the rate of tourist incidents was 1.6 per 100,000 visitors. In 2018, that rate dropped to 1.4 per 100,000 visitors.
The Embassy of the United States in Santo Domingo stressed today that they are “actively working in collaboration with the Dominican authorities and the private sector to ensure that all citizens of the United States are and feel safe while they are in the country.” The Embassy also confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is conducting a deeper toxicology analysis and “results may take up to 30 days” and ask for patience during this process.
The National Police Department, in collaboration with the Ministry, the National Association of Hotels (ASONAHORES), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), is following due process and working diligently to complete investigations and keep the public informed as new findings emerge.
The Ministry is also working with ASONAHORES to strengthen the security conditions and quality control of food, beverages and any other element that has a positive impact on the satisfaction of visitors to our county as tourists.
While what happened is tragic and regrettable, Garcia said it is important that all those who wish to disseminate information about the situation do so in context and with perspective. It is advisable to wait for official reports before speculating on the causes of death.
“We are confident that we can provide a definitive answer as soon as possible,” Garcia said. “You can also be sure that the necessary measures will be taken to make the country even safer for all visitors”.
