The Dominican Republic will be the guest country and partner for the 2022 edition of the Madrid International Tourism Fair (Fitur). The announcement recognizes the country’s handling of the pandemic and the reopening of the tourism sector. Guest country status gives the benefiting country a high profile in the travel event.
Traditionally held in January, the Madrid travel show was postponed for this May. The event was inaugurated on Sunday, 18 May 2021 by King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain.
Secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili, made the announcement of the guest country designation when visiting the Dominican stand at Fitur 2021. Fitur is the first international travel trade show to reopen after the pandemic. Fifty-five countries sent delegations. In non-pandemic years, 165 countries had attended. The event is taking place 19 to 23 May 2021, in a hybrid digital (Fitur LIVEConnect) and in-person format. Those attending need to present negative results of a Covid-19 PCR or antigen test.
Tourism Minister David Collado head the Dominican delegation to the event with government officials and representatives of hotels and resorts, banks and tour operators, among others.
During Fitur, Collado said that 100% of Dominican tourism staff have now been vaccinated. The National Vaccination Plan has called for all 18+ to get vaccinated nationwide.
Andrés Marranzini, executive vice president for the National Hotel & Tourism Association (Asonahores) says that occupancy is back up to 65-70%.
The Dominican Republic is promoting a new public-private investment program. Sigmund Freund of the Dominican Public-Private Alliance (DGAPP) gave a talk in Fitur explaining the advantages of the alliances. The government is working on a public-private alliance to develop the beach destination of Pedernales in the southwest. Freund said that 12 international hotel chains have expressed an interest in the new mechanism.
In Madrid, Collado said that foreign arrivals were 327,000 in April, but there already is a 10% increase in data coming in for May 2021, reflecting that people are traveling again. He forecast 360,000 foreign tourist arrivals for May.
“The success has been due to the teamwork of the public and private sectors,” insisted the official.
During Fitur, Collado signed an agreement with Javier Sanchez Prieto, CEO of Iberia Airlines, for an increase in frequencies to the Dominican Republic. The airline operates 10 flights a week to the country and will increase these to 11 as of July.
The president of the Punta Cana group, Frank Rainieri, highlighted as a bright spot of the recovery the fact that more than 60,000 employees have been vaccinated in the eastern region, which generates confidence in visitors.
Read more in Spanish:
Mitur
El Dia
Fitur
Mitur
Diario Libre
20 May 2021