Spokesmen for the tourist industry expressed their concern days before the 16 May election about the drop experienced in hotel occupancy in several areas of the country. The Minister of Tourism, Frank Jorge Elías, told the Listín Diario that the proliferation of posters and campaign paraphernalia throughout the cities has affected the general appearance of the country and has acted as a damper on tourism.
Mr Jorge Elías also feels that the airline accidents that have occurred in the Americas in recent months, including the one in February off the coast of Puerto Plata, together with those in Peru, Colombia and Florida, have affected air traffic. He said that it is no secret that when there are airline accidents, some people think twice before traveling. Tourism contributed 6% to the GDP, but he forecasts a drop in the numbers for 1996.
Mario Mattana, the North Coast director for Allegro Resorts, a major hotel chain operating in the Dominican Republic, indicated that the flow of visitors to Puerto Plata has kept at normal levels. He said that most visitors, especially those from Europe, are unaware that the elections are taking place. He said that on the North Coast, the election has had little effect on the flow of tourists.
Frank Rainieri, president of the National Hotel & Restaurant Association, also expressed his concern in an interview in the Listin Diario last week, just before the election. He said that the decline is not due to the political campaign, but rather to general problems that fall back on the industry, such as power cuts that keep the tourists within their hotels.
He said that there is a drop of 15% in hotel occupancy and that it is a result of problems caused by the Puerto Plata accident that has resulted in the Civil Aeronautics Board canceling flights when they are about to take off, causing many problems both here and abroad, especially with the tour operators.
To counter the negatives, he said the National Hotel & Restaurant Association has a promotion and public relations campaign underway in Europe.
He said that the new government must work in coordination with the private sector so that happenings like the construction of the Barahona airport are not repeated. He said if the private sector had been consulted, it would have recommended the construction of a smaller airport and the surplus financial resources used on more important items.
He added that the new president should look to the importance given by the Central American governments to tourism. The presidents of Central American countries recently met to discuss and jointly plan tourism development in the region.