The Tourism Police Department (Politur), in collaboration with the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE-OAS), and the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic, are holding the “National Tourism Security Workshop.” The event, aimed at facilitating the exchange of best practices in regional tourism security, is taking place on 18, 19 and 20 March 2025 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santo Domingo.
The workshop has coincided with the investigations into the case of a missing Indian student of the University of Pittsburgh who had come for a spring break vacation and now is believed to have drowned. What is known is she went swimming at around 5am at the beach of her hotel with a US student she had met that evening when partying. The friend reported they were swept by a wave.
The opening ceremony of the workshop was led by General Juan Hilario Guzmán Badía, Deputy Director of the National Police, who represented Major General Ramón Antonio Guzmán Peralta, the National Police director, alongside General Minoru Matsunaga, director of the Tourism Police. Matsunaga discussed the country’s achievements in tourism, noting that the Dominican Republic set a record with over 11 million visitors in 2024.
Matsunaga emphasized Politur’s responsibility to ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing the sector. The police force carries out proactive measures such as crime prevention, proximity assistance, and identifying suspicious individuals. They also use an app to track people with criminal records, stolen vehicles, and weapons. These actions help maintain low levels of negative incidents in tourist areas.
“These efforts are supported by innovations such as body cameras on uniforms, digital communication radios, non-lethal firearms, and a strong commitment to best practices, transparency, service, and institutional responsibility,” explained the Politur director.
Canadian Ambassador Jacquelin Delma Baril attributed the surge in tourism to the country’s rich culture, hospitality, delicious cuisine, stunning landscapes, beaches, and security. Ambassador Baril noted that the increase in tourism underscores the need to protect busy tourist spaces, a priority shared by both countries. “Canada is pleased to support this important National Tourism Security Workshop through the Crowd Safety Program,” she said.
The workshop covers topics such as tourism security innovation and emerging challenges, the development of tourism security plans and strategies, communication and security perceptions, best practices in preventing exploitation in travel and tourism, corporate civil responsibility in tourism, the importance of public-private partnerships in tourism security, crisis management, disaster response, and recovery plans.
The event features the participation of nine national and international speakers, including General Minoru Matsunaga, director of the Dominican Tourism Police (Politur), Paola Fernández, program manager at the Organization of American States, Duccio Mazarese, program officer at UNICRI, Renan Pellenz Scandolara, chief of the Tourist Police in Santa Catarina, Brazil, and Marko Magdic, OAS consultant, among others.
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El Caribe
18 March 2025