Gov. to chop tourism promotion from US$81.1M to US$67.9M

Santo Domingo.- Despite the Tourism Promotion Offices’ (OPT) request of a larger budget to promote the Dominican Republic as a destination that has everything, in addition to the country’s recent crisis on its image abroad, the Dominican Government plans to roll back their allotment.

According to the bill for the 2020 Budget, the Government aims to allocate RD$3.6 billion US$67.9 million) for tourism promotion, or a decrease of RD$697 million, since the segment received RD$4.3 billion this year.

However, the Tourism Ministry plans to receive RD$9.1 billion in 2020 for an increase of RD$847.4 million compared to 2019.

Biggest allotment

According to the bill, tourism promotion and infrastructure development will receive Tourism’s highest budget by item next year, RD$3.9 billion, a RD$525.8 million jump over 2019’s RD$3.4 billion.