Dominican Republic Reports Megabuck Losses as Flows of U.S., Canadian Tourists Dwindles

The Dominican government warned that plummeting tourist arrivals from the United States and Canada, coupled with outbreaks of infectious diseases in some areas, have already cost the Caribbean nation some $300 million so far this year.

In early February, Dominican President Leonel Fernandez ordered the creation of a healthcare institution for tourists visiting the nation in an effort to stave off the outbreaks of infectious ailments that hit the east and north of the country.

U.S., Canadian and Puerto Rican authorities issued travel alerts to their citizens, warning them their chances of catching malaria in the Dominican Republic were fairly high.

However, officials from the local Tourism Ministry rushed to deny rumors about new malaria outbreaks and confirmed the situation was completely under control.

Tourism accounts for 24 percent of the Dominican Gross Domestic Product and has since long been the nation´s number-one income source, followed by money remittances sent by nationals living overseas and business operations in the free trade zones.