Speaking in New York City during a press conference at the Four Seasons, Tourism Minister Francisco Javier García told reporters about the bolstering of Dominican safety measures. Among these is the requirement that information on the 911 Emergency System be in every hotel guest room. He also said that a new emergency tourist assistance center has been set up in Punta Cana where multi-lingual specialists can assist tourists and their families. The Ministry of Tourism says it has partnered with Ecolab, a US company, for improved certification of Ministry of Tourism hotel inspectors. Furthermore, he said that 4,000 agents are part of the tourist security agency (Cestur) and 3,000 more security cameras have been installed.
Speaking during the same activity with reporters, US Ambassador Robin Bernstein called the media coverage “an unfounded negative campaign” that contributed to a tourism crisis on the island. She said the US State Department has maintained its level two advisory on travel to the Dominican Republic. This is the same that Spain, Denmark and Belgium have.
“American tourists should feel safe and secure,” said the ambassador. “I am totally comfortable with the present safety level. It is one of the safest tourist destinations I have ever visited. In fact, it has now become an even safer place to come to because of the initiatives.”
Bernstein denied that local alcohol caused the deaths. “If alcohol were to blame, people would be dropping like flies,” Bernstein said. “It is not alcohol.”
Earlier this year, seven deaths of US tourists have been attributed to tourists becoming ill and dying of health-related issues. The FBI is still conducting toxicology tests in three specific cases and has not yet released the results.
The US State Department confirmed that in 2018, 13 US citizens died while traveling to the Dominican Republic; the number was 17 in 2017. More than 2.7 million US tourists visited the island in 2017, making the island the fourth-most popular travel destination for Americans.
According to InSight Crime’s 2018 Homicide Round-Up, statistics show that the Dominican Republic recorded 10.4 homicides per 100,000 people –– compared to 81.4 in Venezuela, 25 in Mexico and 11.7 in Costa Rica.
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Diario Libre
17 September 2019