DR1 Travel News - Tuesday, 17 September 2019

D

Dolores

Guest
Dominican expat travel up, US travel still down in August 2019
Minister of Tourism shares details of improved safety measures for tourists
Experts talk about efforts to change negative narrative that affected the Dominican Republic
Legendary rock bands coming to Casa de Campo
DR on CNTraveler's list of 40 most beautiful countries



Dominican expat travel up, US travel still down in August 2019
Central Bank travel statistics for August 2019 again reflect the decline in tourism from the United States. Travel to the Dominican Republic this year is up but 0.4%, very different from the 5%+ increases of previous years.

The Central Bank explains that Dominican expat visits were up 14.8% (91,141 travelers), but non-resident foreigner travel was down 1.8%, or 71,154 fewer visitors than from January to August 2018. Overall tourism in 2018 for the first eight months of the year was 4,644,049 and this year it is at 4,664,036 non-resident visitors.

The good news is that stats for August show the decline in travel has slowed down. While in July travel was down 11.2%, by August, the drop had declined to 7.5%. In August, 497,390 non-resident visitors are reported, or 40,185 fewer air passengers than for the same month in 2018.

Travelers from the United States, Canada and Mexico make up 61.9% of all non-resident tourists coming to the country by air. Travelers from Europe are 21.6%, from South America 12% and from Central America and the Caribbean 0.4%.

The Central Bank attributes the lull in travel to the media campaign on unfortunate events affecting US tourists at hotels in the country in the first half of the year. The negative buzz resulted in the cancellations of thousands of US tourist vacation plans to the Dominican Republic.

Last week, during the 33rd Hotel & Tourism Association Trade Exhibition in Punta Cana, spokespeople for tourism in Punta Cana said the area is making a comeback. Ernesto Veloz of the Eastern Tourism Association (AsoEste) said that most of the cancellations had affected bookings for conventions.
https://www.bancentral.gov.do


Minister of Tourism shares details of improved safety measures for tourists
Speaking in New York City during a press conference at the Four Seasons, Tourism Minister Francisco Javier García told reporters about the bolstering of Dominican safety measures. Among these is the requirement that information on the 911 Emergency System be in every hotel guest room. He also said that a new emergency tourist assistance center has been set up in Punta Cana where multi-lingual specialists can assist tourists and their families. The Ministry of Tourism says it has partnered with Ecolab, a US company, for improved certification of Ministry of Tourism hotel inspectors. Furthermore, he said that 4,000 agents are part of the tourist security agency (Cestur) and 3,000 more security cameras have been installed.

Speaking during the same activity with reporters, US Ambassador Robin Bernstein called the media coverage "an unfounded negative campaign" that contributed to a tourism crisis on the island. She said the US State Department has maintained its level two advisory on travel to the Dominican Republic. This is the same that Spain, Denmark and Belgium have.

"American tourists should feel safe and secure," said the ambassador. "I am totally comfortable with the present safety level. It is one of the safest tourist destinations I have ever visited. In fact, it has now become an even safer place to come to because of the initiatives."

Bernstein denied that local alcohol caused the deaths. "If alcohol were to blame, people would be dropping like flies," Bernstein said. "It is not alcohol."

Earlier this year, seven deaths of US tourists have been attributed to tourists becoming ill and dying of health-related issues. The FBI is still conducting toxicology tests in three specific cases and has not yet released the results.

The US State Department confirmed that in 2018, 13 US citizens died while traveling to the Dominican Republic; the number was 17 in 2017. More than 2.7 million US tourists visited the island in 2017, making the island the fourth-most popular travel destination for Americans.

According to InSight Crime's 2018 Homicide Round-Up, statistics show that the Dominican Republic recorded 10.4 homicides per 100,000 people –– compared to 81.4 in Venezuela, 25 in Mexico and 11.7 in Costa Rica.

https://news.yahoo.com/minister-promotes-safety-dominican-republic-011322468.html
https://news.yahoo.com/dominican-republic-announces-safety-measures-043845536.html
https://www.diariolibre.com/economia/hoteleros-del-este-ya-estamos-en-recuperacion-BG14122517


Experts talk about efforts to change negative narrative that affected the Dominican Republic
Four top hoteliers discussed the travel drop caused by recent negative media coverage, as reported by Travel Market Report. They were part of a panel during the Apple Leisure Group and its Apple Vacations division annual awards gala held in Chicago, USA.

Abel Matutes Prats, CEO of Palladium Hotel Group; Alex Zozaya, executive chairman of ALG; Gonzalo del Peón, president of AMResorts; and José Codola of Valentin Hotel Group were on the panel that discussed the communications crisis that lead to major cancellations of US tourists to the Dominican Republic.

"We are in the era that … there's more rush to be the first one to take on some news than really doing a background check of the real news to see if it's something worth doing," Matutes Prats said. "It's so frustrating for everyone," Del Peon said. "It's creating huge damage to a destination, to its communities, and staff members."

The panel members explained that the news had mainly impacted business from the United States, with a smaller impact on travel from Canada. They explained European business continues strong. They said the impact of the media demonstrates how powerful a bad story in the US media can be for tourism, not just in the Dominican Republic, but in other regions as well.

The hoteliers and resort owners say they are still waiting for the toxicology results from the US FBI for two of the deaths that caused some of the more sensationalized consumer media headlines. Meanwhile, the Dominican government hired the US public relations firm, Rubenstein PR to help the recovery effort.

"It's not going to be that easy to put the image of the brand of the DR to the place it was and also the news of the toxicology report being normal. That's also going to be something that's not going to be in the headlines for a bunch of days. As soon as they do that, they have to try and do a big campaign to reinforce the many strengths of the Dominican Republic," Matutes Prats said.

The members of the panel said they are confident the business to the Dominican Republic would return. "We have seen cases like this before," del Peón said, noting that the Riviera Maya came back after its hiccups. "When you have a good product at the right price in a beautiful location and the right promotion … at the end of the day, the market is going to come back … it's not the first time, it won't be the last."

https://www.travelmarketreport.com/...-Address-Advisors-at-ALGs-First-Ascend-Summit
https://www.travelmarketreport.com/...aused-by-Media-Coverage-of-Dominican-Republic


Legendary rock bands coming to Casa de Campo
The rock bands, REO Speedwagon (US Midwest) and Asia (UK) and DJ Steve Aoki are scheduled to perform at the Altos de Chavón Amphitheater in La Romana.
Rock legends REO Speedwagon and Asia, plus internationally acclaimed disc jockey and producer Steve Aoki are booked for performances in the Dominican Republic in November and December 2019.

REO Speedwagon joined by rock group Asia will be playing on Saturday, 2 November 2019 at the Casa de Campo 5,000-seat outdoor stage.

On Saturday, 28 December, world-renowned DJ Steve Aoki will be performing at the same amphitheater. Aoki is known for challenging the standards of EDM music and focusing on cross-genre collaborations, as well as amassing an impressive-sized fan base and social media following over the recent years.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-...ores-Confidence-in-the-Country-s-Tourism.html


DR on CNTraveler's list of 40 most beautiful countries
CN Traveler lists the Dominican Republic fifth in its wrap up on the "40 most beautiful countries in the world." The DR is the only Caribbean island included on the list.

On the Dominican Republic, CNTraveler states:
You'll be hard-pressed to find a Caribbean island with as much action as the Dominican Republic, thanks in large part to the country's expansive list of must-visit beaches and jungles. On the Samaná peninsula, the aptly-named Playa Bonita has crystal-clear waters ideal for snorkeling and diving—and plenty of palm trees for your classic tropical 'gram. If you prefer green to blue, head to Los Haitises National Park on the island's northeast coast. With its unique limestone rock formations and mangrove forests, the park is easily one of the most beautiful places in the Dominican Republic—and perhaps even the entire Caribbean.

Other countries are
Australia, Austria, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Seychelles, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United States and Venezuela.

https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/most-beautiful-countries-in-the-world