SANTO DOMINGO - In the Dominican Republic there are 85,000 hotel rooms and 100,000 tourist homes and apartments, the latter mostly available for rent through digital platforms, without any regulation, so it is necessary to regulate this business to guarantee the safety of foreign visitors.
This was stated by David Llibre and Andrés Marranzin, president and executive vice president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores), respectively.
According to the newspaper Hoy, representatives stated that the number of homes and apartments built by the tourism real estate sector in the Dominican Republic exceeds that of the hotel industry. They believe that properties rented through online platforms should be regulated to ensure the safety of foreign visitors and protect the country as a tourist destination.
They opined that what happens to a foreign visitor on Creole soil "happens in the Dominican Republic.".
They argued that when a tourist stays in a hotel, they have a higher percentage of guarantees of their safety and of receiving good service, which the other type of accommodation does not offer.
They said that the Ministry of Tourism is willing to implement a program to regulate these platforms in the country, and that 312 cities worldwide have already done so.
Trade show returns
The newspaper Hoy reports that the directors of Asonahores spoke about the return of the XXXV Asonahores Trade Exhibition, from September 6 to 8 of this year, which will take place at the Blue Mall Punta Cana plaza, projecting that this version will be the largest business meeting held by the business association in 60 years.
The 2023 edition of the fair will feature more than 4,000 square meters of exhibition space and will include more than 160 companies.
Llibre said that 80 percent of what hotels consume is locally produced, which includes agricultural products.
Participants include companies specializing in amenities, lingerie, and agricultural products. “We are expecting to exceed 20,000 participants, including delegates, vendors, and visitors; last year we reached approximately 14,000,” said Marranzini.
He highlighted that several inter-institutional agreements will be signed at the exhibition, and seminars and training sessions will be held in different areas, and that more than 25 press conferences will be held during the exhibition to present new products from the tourism sector.
Some missions from other countries will be visiting the Asonahores exhibition.
With information from the newspaper Hoy.
