Collado announces strategy to make the DR an environment-friendly destination
Bávaro , La Altagracia, RD April 27, 2023.- The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, announced this Thursday the strategy that they will apply to turn the Dominican Republic into an environmentally friendly destination.
“I announce today that in the month of May we are going to issue a resolution giving hotels in the country a transition to gradually eliminate plastic,” he said in the first session with the media, on the occasion of the XXIII edition of the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE).
The official assured that he will adopt as many measures as necessary to turn the Dominican Republic into the most environmentally friendly tourist destination in the region.
“We want to be the friendliest destination with the environment, make the Dominican Republic, not only the region’s leader in the arrival of tourists,” said Collado, after pointing out that every day the planet gives more clear signs that it requires more contribution to sustainability.
The official stressed that in the recent seminar headed by President Luis Abinader, a million dollars was allocated to universities for research on the issue of sargassum that affects the coastal zone.
Likewise, Collado announced that he is evaluating, together with the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, the reduction in taxes and the price of airplane fuels in order to lower the costs of long-distance air tickets for next summer.
He expressed that the plans to achieve a reduction in air tickets are part of the open skies agreement with the United States, one of the pacts of which he indicated is in its final stage.
He said that in relation to this measure he will announce it soon together with President Abinader.
Collado answered questions from the national and international press on the formal opening day of the most important business event in the tourism sector sponsored by Asonahores, along with the president and vice president of the entity, Julio Llibre and Andrés Marranzini, respectively.
10 million tourists
The Minister of Tourism affirmed that the Dominican Republic’s dream of reaching 10 million tourists this year will be a reality due to the projections that it has to reach 9.8 by the end of 2023 and as the numbers say in the first quarter and how the month of April that will end with more than 700 thousand visitors.
The official, who reviewed the success story of the recovery of tourism in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic, recalled the recognitions won by the country of Quisqueyan and the management of the Tourism Cabinet by the World Tourism Organization -UNWTO- and the WTTC, among others.
On his side, David Llibre, president of (ASONAHORES) highlighted in this edition the high participation with 170 companies, 7 thousand business meetings and exchanges between the actors of the tourism sector, between travel agents and tour operators, banks, airlines , among others “where the main protagonist is Dominican tourism.”
In the activity, Collado received recognition from the main executives of Expedia Group for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Prior to the first DATE press conference with international and local media, Minister Collado together with businessmen, authorities and deputy ministers toured and shared with the representatives of the exhibiting companies from each of the sector’s value chain.
DATE in its XXIII 2023 edition, taking place at Barceló Resorts Punta Cana, brings together important international participants, senior executives from the public and private sectors, representatives of the industry in the country, renowned national and international press, as well as an agenda made up of more than 17 press conferences, agreement signing, and social activities.
