Taken from Hoy
SANTO DOMINGO- Room rental platforms like Airbnb must pay taxes and, in addition, must be regulated just like hotels, reiterated Rafael Blanco Tejera, president of the Dominican Republic Hotel and Tourism Association (Asonahores), yesterday.
“We all have to pay taxes equally, and currently Airbnb doesn't pay taxes. We hotels have strict regulations from the Ministry of Tourism to guarantee the quality and safety of tourists,” he explained.
He said that great care must be taken to ensure that a segment, which is already becoming an important part of the Dominican Republic's tourism offering, remains unregulated.
Tourism sector claims to have recovered
Blanco Tejera highlighted the pace of tourism recovery, noting that the country has been recognized nationally and internationally by various institutions such as the World Tourism Organization as the country leading the sector's recovery worldwide.
“We can say that we have a recovered tourism sector and that is very positive for the economy,” said Blanco Tejera, after offering details about the celebration of the twenty-first edition of the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE) fair, to be held from May 11 to 13 at the Barceló Bávaro Convention Center, in Punta Cana.
Tejera said that this new edition of DATE will bring together in person the main source markets of the industry with the hotel sector and the local complementary offer, strengthening confidence in the Dominican tourism product to increase the flow of tourists and continue contributing to the recovery of the economy.
