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From today's DR1 Daily News:
More tourists, spending more and staying more[/h]Meeting and convention tourism should be exempt from the 16% ITBIS tax, proposed Julio Llibre, president of the National Hotel & Tourism Association when speaking during the monthly luncheon of the American Chamber of Commerce. Llibre says that it is time that the country implement tax free shopping for tourists to boost cruise ship and tours into Santo Domingo. Llibre encourages the government to extend the time tourists can stay under their US$10 tourist card beyond the present 30 days and that those that own second homes in the Dominican Republic be allowed to stay up to six months without paying beyond the US$10 entry fee.
Llibre mentioned these and other recommendations that seek to boost tourism but at the same time encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more in the country.
Llibre noted that the average stay for tourists has gone down from 12-14 days to 8-9 days over the last five years.
Llibre made the point that tourism is 20% of the GDP, 30% of export revenues and the industry buys RD$16 billion from the local farming sector. "We are convinced that tourism is the key to create the needed jobs in the short term and reduce the deficit in the balance of payment of the country," he said.
He said there is a need for an extraordinary promotion effort abroad, local programs that are consistent with improving quality of the product, and enhancing the cultural component as well as for increased attention to the local problems that affect quality of life and the surroundings in the tourism destinations.
He said that the number of hotels rooms is enough, and that what is needed is to improve the quality of these to achieve the goal of 10 million tourists. He said that there are 66,088 rooms hotel in 2011, with an average occupancy of 74%.
He also called for lower interest rates, reinforcing judicial security, avoiding corruption in courts and dealing with property title problems, labor disputes and the tourism transport issues.
From today's DR1 Daily News:
More tourists, spending more and staying more[/h]Meeting and convention tourism should be exempt from the 16% ITBIS tax, proposed Julio Llibre, president of the National Hotel & Tourism Association when speaking during the monthly luncheon of the American Chamber of Commerce. Llibre says that it is time that the country implement tax free shopping for tourists to boost cruise ship and tours into Santo Domingo. Llibre encourages the government to extend the time tourists can stay under their US$10 tourist card beyond the present 30 days and that those that own second homes in the Dominican Republic be allowed to stay up to six months without paying beyond the US$10 entry fee.
Llibre mentioned these and other recommendations that seek to boost tourism but at the same time encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more in the country.
Llibre noted that the average stay for tourists has gone down from 12-14 days to 8-9 days over the last five years.
Llibre made the point that tourism is 20% of the GDP, 30% of export revenues and the industry buys RD$16 billion from the local farming sector. "We are convinced that tourism is the key to create the needed jobs in the short term and reduce the deficit in the balance of payment of the country," he said.
He said there is a need for an extraordinary promotion effort abroad, local programs that are consistent with improving quality of the product, and enhancing the cultural component as well as for increased attention to the local problems that affect quality of life and the surroundings in the tourism destinations.
He said that the number of hotels rooms is enough, and that what is needed is to improve the quality of these to achieve the goal of 10 million tourists. He said that there are 66,088 rooms hotel in 2011, with an average occupancy of 74%.
He also called for lower interest rates, reinforcing judicial security, avoiding corruption in courts and dealing with property title problems, labor disputes and the tourism transport issues.
