World Tourism Organization Secretary General Taleb Rifai presented President Danilo Medina with the WTO Open Letter on Travel and Tourism for his support for tourism as the key to growth and fairer development at the opening of the International Seminar on Tourism Destinations Management of Cultural Heritage Sites yesterday, Monday 17 February. The event is taking place in Santo Domingo from 17-18 February.
Speaking at the event, Rifai said that travel and tourism were an overwhelming force in today’s world. “Future generations will look back and say this was the age of travel,” he said, stressing this is a golden opportunity if correctly managed. “In the middle of success, the Dominican Republic stands out as a unique example. It is the most visited destination in the Caribbean, the most talked about,” he said.
“Many may not realize that you are very much spoken of outside of this country and the world,” he commented. “The word looks up to you.”
Rifai stated that success in the Dominican Republic has not come about by accident. He mentioned that the presence of President Medina at the event was “living proof of commitment.” He emphasized that the Open Letter represented recognition for Medina as a world leader in tourism and travel all around the world.
In his remarks he mentioned that “the Dominican Republic is a very well-known leisure destination that has realized very correctly that we need to look at the cultural depth. This is the time to look at where, who we are and to celebrate our differences”.
The Dominican Republic is focusing on developing its Colonial City attraction in Santo Domingo and initiatives are underway to develop inland destinations featuring activities such as agro-tourism as a complement to beach and sun tourism.
In his keynote address at the opening of the seminar, Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier Garcia highlighted the impact the opening of new highways to key tourism destinations and the passing of Law 195-13 that extends the length (from 10 to 15 years) and scope (nationwide) of tax incentives to qualifying companies as key to achieving the target of 10 million tourists in 10 years.