Travel news analysts are telling people to forget their concerns and get vaccinated if they enjoy traveling. International travel experts are forecasting that many countries are likely to allow entry only to those who are vaccinated with Covid-19. Or, at best, these may be required to present a 72-hour antigen or PCR test to enter.
Right now, the Dominican Republic is affected by travel requirements issued by European Union countries, the United States and Canada. Resorts and hotels are open, but the continuing pandemic has added the testing requirement that is making people think twice about traveling. Despite local efforts, foreign travel is slow in recovering due to the external reasons.
The Dominican government has announced it does not intend to reciprocate. It has no plans to require testing to enter the country or impose a quarantine. Tourism Minister David Collado told El Dia in a recent interview that travel is down 62% to the country as a consequence of the pandemic. The more strict requirements to enter the US, Canada and Europe are expected to have a chilling effect on the efforts to help international travel recover in the Dominican Republic.The Minister is concerned new measures will discourage American tourists from traveling abroad.
Tourism Minister Collado told El Dia that 85% of all the tourists that visited in 2020 were from the United States. Collado says that in August foreign arrivals were around 50,000, in September 49,000. The numbers began to increase as of October with 75,000, November 106,000 and December 300,000.
Collado says that it is domestic travel that is keeping the industry afloat. Dominicans are not traveling abroad, and have taken to discovering the Dominican Republic, filling rooms in resorts and small hotels and lodgings all around the country. Over the Altagracia Day and Duarte Day holidays, Collado said occupancy at hotels rose to around 60-70%.
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El Dia
28 January 2021