A specialist in migration studies, Milady Mata de Vergara, says this country should change the way it promotes itself. She says tourism brochures show beaches and women in bikinis which leaves a certain perception of the country. She compares this to other Caribbean islands, such as Saint Martin, where official tourism promotions tend to emphasize the family rather than sexy images of women.
Mata de Vergara says only political will can change the perception in some European countries that Dominican women are all prostitutes. She says Dominican women are stereotyped in Europe. “Even if she isn’t a prostitute, they say she is one.” Mata de Vergara works with the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Relations. (11 October 2001)
