Arturo Villanueva, executive vice president of the National Association of Hotels & Restaurants, protested what he considered the excessive zealousness of the prevention operation implemented by the Civil Defense over the Easter holiday. The operation sought to bring order to resort areas when thousands of Dominicans traditionally throng the beaches. As a result, the authorities banned excursions to Saona and fishing boat trips out of the Punta Cana area. Villanueva said this was very detrimental to foreign tourism, as many tourists come with the idea of booking these excursions. The Saona Island excursion is a top-selling excursion. For the Easter holiday long weekend (Thursday through Sunday), a Ministry of Tourism resolution affected scuba diving, jet ski, horseback riding and motorized sports in beach and areas. The hoisting of tents was also banned. Likewise, the government prohibited loud music playing in discotheques, bars, restaurants and cafeterias from Thursday at midnight to Saturday at midnight, even at hotels. In protest, local tourists as a result turned on their radios in their hotel rooms at full blast, say news reports from Cabarete, Puerto Plata, where tourist business owners protested the overzealousness of the authorities that closed the discos. The Civil Defense authorities also banned the sale of alcoholic beverages on beaches, river sites, highways and public areas in glass containers. Drunks were arrested and sent home. And everyone was ordered off the beaches as of 5:30 pm. (25 April 2000)
