Presidente Joaquín Balaguer, in a decree issued on Sunday, 22 June, has instructed the Department of Immigration to postpone charging British tourists the US$10 tourist card fee until 31 October. The decision comes in response to a request from the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants that explained the inconvenience tour operators would suffer as holiday packages were already being sold for a fixed price. Frank Rainieri, president of Asonahores, had said that “after the happenings that have affected the position of the country in Germany, it is not prudent to stir-up another market that is one of the most important sources of tourists in the summer.”
Recently, the government decided to begin charging British visitors US$10 for the tourist card, a decision that was communicated to the tour operators that sell Dominican holiday packages only last week. The move comes after the British government began requiring visas from Dominican citizens, a decision that resulted from its membership of the European Union.
The Federation of British Tour Operators said the card will have a adverse effect on Dominican tourism as it is of immediate application and the packages for the present and following season are already designed and priced with the details being published in company brochures.
The president of Asonahores explained that “decisions that change regulations and affect the operations in the tourism industry should be taken effective the following season, because sales are made months in advance and from one year to another.”