Enrique de Marchena Karluche, the head of the National Hotel & Restaurant Association, says that members see the announced US$5 surcharge on fares to the DR originating abroad as counterproductive and untimely. He said this makes it difficult for airlines and hotels to compete with so many seemingly unending government taxes.
Marchena said that the tax makes the DR less attractive in the hotly contested Caribbean tourist industry. He cited that the airport charges for both charter and regular airlines are of the highest in the Caribbean, and the ticket prices are not reflecting the lower exchange rate that has been relative steady for the past several months.
Ignoring the advice and opposition of airline representatives and hotel owners, Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez only postponed until August the start of the US$5.00 tax on airline tickets sold outside the Dominican Republic. The tax will be applied to both regular and charter passengers.
According to Jimenez, the monies generated with the new tax will be used to improve the tourism infrastructure. Jimenez also said that the tax will be “temporary.”