Within the framework of the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE) 2024 tourism fair, the Hotel and Tourism Association of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores) at a press conference commented on objectives, expectations and current events about the sector in the destination. David Llibre, President of Asonahores and Aguie Lendor, Executive Vice President of Asonahores, and representatives of destinations such as Puerto Plata were present.
What is the news and organization of Asonahores on DATE 2024?
We have distributed more than 300 delegates from participating companies that are buyers who will be present here during these two days of the fair. We also have more than 120 service subscribing companies with more than 500 delegates, and we are talking about about 8,000 business appointments that are already registered on our platform. For this year we have, as you have seen from the different press conferences already established, different agreements that are being signed.
It is important to highlight that we will have Tripadvisor recognition of the Dominican Republic. They are going to come here to give us the award as the number one country in the entire Caribbean, as a tourist destination, and number four in the world as a honeymoon destination. They are important data.
What is Asonahores' objective with this level of exposure?
Definitely, what is not exposed and exhibited is lost, and we have been growing for 24 years, celebrating and presenting the Dominican tourism product to all international media and operators. It is not the same when we present the Dominican tourist product in Germany, London, France, which we are always present, to presenting it here on the beach. It is very different when one has the experience of the Dominican tourism product.
We had the welcome party offered by the Karisma Group, where they presented the new features of the Nickelodeon hotel and having all the tourists and the international press there to see and admire it impacts the entire society.
Tourism for the Dominican Republic is not a hobby, it is not a hobby, it is our main source of business and economic engine, which brings a productive chain to all sectors of the Dominican Republic.
What support or agreements are they generating here?
Within the press, here in the official press room we have the presence of the Minister of Tourism. Then we have an address given by the Piñero Group and it is very important. It is a great direction of work that the private and public sectors have been carrying out, and that is the result of when everyone comes together on the same issue. Then we have agreements with several entities to reduce single-use plastic. There is a commitment from hotels, restaurants, tourists, betting on the sustainability of our destinations. We live off tourism, beaches, mountains, so taking care of it is extremely important.
We have a series of agreements with Unicef for the signing of a code that many in our hotels have already signed, where they oppose any abuse against women. We have an area where we are going to give internships in the hotel and restaurant sector to women victims or survivors of violence, where they will have the opportunity to empower themselves and enter their first job and feel that they are no longer within that circle. And finally we focus on scholarships for our employees and for everyone in the sector.
What is the main feature of DATE 2024?
A characteristic of Date 2024 is an environment of Sustainable Tourism, where we see sustainability agreements at the level of plastic use, and a tourism sector concerned about an entire environment that goes far beyond the hotel wall. We firmly understand that we have reached 10 million tourists, but we still have a long way to go. There are those who believe that the Dominican Republic has reached its peak, but it is time to reach other territories. And that is why we are making these agreements, to guarantee not only the sustainability and success of Dominican tourism, but also to continue highlighting that the Dominican Republic is a safe vacation country, which is what characterizes us as a sector.
How is tourism developing in the Dominican Republic?
Health tourism is an important and integral part of what has been the growth of tourism in the Dominican Republic. Today we see new establishments, specifically in the northern area of Santiago, which has been developing as a health tourism destination. The main procedure that is being done here in the Dominican Republic is dentistry and orthodontics. We have internationally certified centers and specialists to provide that service and who come here to the Dominican Republic, do a procedure and then can spend two or three days resting. Health tourism is a bit of an emblem that makes the growth of the Dominican tourism sector. And both Asonahores and the government have identified this tourism as a growth plan.
What is the situation of cruise tourism?
Puerto Plata is the destination that is now receiving nearly 1 million two hundred thousand cruise passengers per year, a record in the entire Dominican Republic. We see a Puerto Plata that has become more dynamic in an important way, however, we have to continue working on everything that is the territorial planning of all our tourist towns. Together with the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, we have been working on everything established by the Territorial Planning Law, especially for tourist ports. We continue working to improve this arrangement, because cruises are going to continue to increase. Today Puerto Plata has a strategic position on cruise routes and that is why the destination has been growing as one of the main cruise ports at the canal level.
What are the main challenges faced by airlines operating in the Dominican Republic?
The success of tourism in the Dominican Republic has a direct correlation with the number of flights and seats that are generated for the destination, since we totally depend on international tourism to be able to grow. The average stay is much longer than in local tourism due to the size of our country and the distances we have. Part of the main challenges with different airlines specifically is with long-haul flights, especially with fuel.
We are a country that is not an oil producer and therefore the cost of fuel is much higher than in other competing countries, and airfare becomes more expensive. Then we have the entire tax, fiscal, and political part that also has an important burden. However, all these points have been taken into account in the marketing committee that the Ministry of Tourism has established today. There is a working table between the public and private sectors where we meet and see different strategies on how to promote new routes, new airlines and therefore those challenges identify those needs and strategies are made to address them.
From an infrastructure point of view, what can you tell us?
We are not the Government, we are an association of private hotels, and within our claims and our demands is specifically the entire road part; continue building and developing new roads that allow tourists to travel safely and faster between different tourist towns. Of the 103 million visitors who arrived in the Dominican Republic, 60% today are arriving through the Punta Cana airport, and the idea is that they can have an impact throughout the country and visit other tourist towns. One of the main needs is to continue strengthening the roads. It is necessary to connect Santiago with the North Coast, with Puerto Plata, in a faster and safer way, to also be able to take advantage of the flow of tourists that are arriving through the Santiago City airport.
Work is also being done in terms of infrastructure, water, energy. More is being done on issues of renewable energy, water improvement, but also another type of infrastructure that the Ministry of Tourism is beginning to rescue are public beach areas in favor of citizens so that they have safe spaces to recreate. The Ministry of Tourism has also just commented on an investment in a tourist information and tourist service center in the eastern area, which will have all the ambulance systems, 911 and the different embassies of the issuing countries, so that any situation that has a visitor can be attended to as it should. Unfortunately, eventualities happen and even more so when we receive more than 10 million people a year. The idea is to be able to return to the level of security in what the product is, adding improvements in renewable energy, water, and also other types of infrastructure.