“Large tourism developers follow regulations, unlike someone who bought a property in a tourist area and only has one towel or sheet, and then the tourist gets the impression that tourism here is a disaster. That distorts what tourism is,” he said.
SANTO DOMINGO.-The Dominican Association of Tourism and Real Estate Companies (ADETI) believes that the operations of digital platforms offering tourist accommodation should be regulated, not only from a fiscal point of view, but also to guarantee safety and health for tourists and to protect the image of the Dominican Republic as a tourist destination.
The president of ADETI, Jorge Subero Medina, stressed that digital vacation rental platforms, such as Airbnb and others, should not only be seen as unfair competition for the hotel sector, but are tools that can affect the destination.
He said that security is vital for the tourism sector and that the police have access to hotels and can review security camera footage if a crime occurs, but in an apartment building, it's unknown who is renting or who has entered or checked in.
Regarding hygiene, Subero emphasized that all hotel facilities have established standards and regulations, whereas in an apartment rented through a digital platform, if it's dirty, it reflects poorly on the building, the area, and the destination.
“Large tourism developers follow regulations, unlike someone who bought a property in a tourist area and only has one towel or sheet, and then the tourist gets the impression that tourism here is a disaster. That distorts what tourism is,” he said.
Michael Lugo, executive director of ADETI, added that regulating digital platforms that provide short-stay services in tourist destinations is key to complying with safety, health and service quality standards.
He highlighted that there is a large increase in these accommodations, which were 7.1% of the total in 2019 and are estimated to be 28.55% by 2021.
Lugo highlighted that through the Ministry of Tourism, a public-private sector working group is being formed to create regulations that take these aspects into account, and not just the tax aspect.
Subero said that there is unfair competition, because hotels pay their taxes, but they understand that the platforms do have a positive impact on the economy because they hire local labor and that is why they do not oppose them.
“Access to technology cannot be denied; the only thing we can do is regulate it,” he stated.
He said that regulations are already in place in US cities such as Miami, New York, and San Francisco, as well as in Madrid and several South American countries.
Source: Economy Today
