The Dominican Republic Clings to Solid Tourism Reopening Strategy
Caribbean News Digital Newsroom
As countries move forward with vaccination processes and global tourism begins to reactivate after a record-low drop in 2020, the Dominican Republic keeps the lead and reaffirms its leading position in Latin America as a global benchmark recognized by specialized international agencies, mostly thanks to its responsible recovery strategy deployed in a sustained manner since September 2020.
The set of measures contained in the plan has ensured that the country's tourist poles remain safe places for visitors, with a positivity rate close to zero in random tests applied at the main airports to incoming passengers.
Among these measures that remain in force are the vaccination of 100% of the tourism personnel, compliance with health protocols, the elimination of the requirement to present PCR tests for entry into the country, the application of random tests and the implementation of the Health Assistance Plan covered by COVID for all tourists going to hotels, as well as the implementation of certified protocols throughout the value chain.
The Ministry of Tourism reported last Tuesday, June 1, the maintenance of the actions contained in the plan and the extension of the time of tourist assistance coverage until July 30, 2021.
These measures have been complemented with an aggressive strategy to promote the country, agreements to maintain the most important routes and create new routes, and identification of strategic allies in the value chain.
"Additionally, the country is among the top 5 countries in the region in the rate of vaccination progress, which allows it to continue with a policy open to tourism," a statement from the Ministry maintains.
Anticipating the effect of the global emergence of new strains, the Dominican government reinforced security measures to reduce the probability of an increase in the number of infections, as well as the health of the population.
Since December, tourism in the Dominican Republic has shown signs of recovery, with May being the best month in terms of arrivals in the last 12 months, confirming the confidence of tourists and tour operators in the measures adopted by the country.
The sector represents one of the main drivers of the Dominican economy. The country has the presence of more than 70 hotel chains, has agreements with more than 100 airlines and the main world tour operators. Dominican airports receive tourists from more than 500 cities around the world.
