The Minister of Tourism, Frank Jorge Elías, said that more than 150,000 Dominicans are employed in the tourist industry, including 44,000 in direct jobs and 110,000 in indirect jobs. He estimates that five percent of Dominicans able to work are employed in tourism. He emphasize the importance of strengthening tourism institutions in order to maintain the growth and achieve the consolidation of the sector.
Jorge Elías also said that his goal is to create the right conditions so that the country can become the most attractive tourism destination in the Caribbean area. “Tourism is a reality and as such we must take care of it; it has to be regulated so that its growth is not disorderly and the wrong precedents are created.”
He added that tourism was the strongest generator of foreign exchange for the Dominican economy, producing US$1,579 million in 1995. He said the industry continued to grow both in revenue generated as well as in the number of arrivals and hotel rooms. In 1995, some 2,150,000 visitors came to the country, compared to 1,900,000 in 1994. The number of hotel rooms grew by three percent, from 29,000 in 1994 to 30,000 in 1995, and another 2,674 are under construction. The average occupancy rate for 1995 was 77% compared to the 72% in 1994.