The Dominican Republic’s trade attache in the People’s Republic of China, Rosa Ng Baez says that it is essential to target China in order to meet the “10 million tourists” goal set by President Danilo Medina. Speaking to Listin Diario reporter Jaime Valdivia, Ng stated that Dominicans could benefit from the funds that Chinese President Xi Jinping offered the countries of the region during the China-CELAC Summit held in Beijing in early 2015. “For some time China has changed its policy towards the Dominican Republic. We have been promoting trust and they have improved our relations,” the Dominican diplomat told the reporter. A total of 5,141,377 tourists visited the Dominican Republic in 2014, according to official figures issued in late February. This is half of what the government is seeking to reach each year until 2022.
Ng Baez said that most Chinese people do not recognize the Dominican Republic. This is one of our greatest problems, she said. She pointed out that one of the outcomes of the China n CELAC Summit was the announcement that a Chinese airline would be starting flights to Havana three times a week, and another to the Bahamas. In January, Air China announced that it would start its first direct air route to the Caribbean in September with three flights a week, with a stopover in Montreal, Canada. Ng Baez said that 109 million Chinese citizens travelled abroad as tourists last year, spending US$165 billion. The diplomat said that the Ministry of Tourism has assigned funds for attending five tourist fairs in China. Information about the Dominican Republic is also being translated into Mandarin. “China is essential in order to meet the target of 10 million tourists. The role played by Dominican business is going to be fundamental in achieving this goal,” she stated.
http://www.listindiario.com/economia-and-negocios/2015/3/29/361743/China-es-esencial-para-la-meta-de-Republica-Dominicana