PUNTA CANA - Tourism Minister David Collado reported that continuing to strengthen connectivity is the country's main challenge and that the vision of the Government and the Tourism Cabinet is to support the open skies agreement with the United States of America.
“We will continue to promote connectivity with the United States and we strongly support the American Embassy’s open skies declarations,” said the Minister of Tourism.
This information was provided by Collado during the 34th edition of the Asonahores 2022 Trade Show, which features more than 176 companies from across the entire supply chain. The event is being held from October 19 to 21 at Blue Mall Punta Cana and is dedicated to the United States, as it is the primary source of tourists to the Dominican Republic.
The official highlighted that the ForwardKeys platform, which measures all airports and airlines worldwide, has just published that the Dominican Republic is in first place for reservations in the last four months of the year in terms of tourist arrivals, with more than 40% compared to the same period in 2019.
“Our numbers are amazing, and what we need to do is continue to take care of tourism in the Dominican Republic, and continue to forge an alliance with the private sector as we have been doing,” Collado said.
The official stated that there are high expectations for this edition of Expo Asonahores, because it showcases everything that tourism represents, the entire commercial chain, from food and technology to construction, among other things.
“This trade fair reflects the strength and importance of tourism in the country's economy, representing 15% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and averaging over $8.2 billion in foreign exchange earnings this year; this helps maintain exchange rate stability and clearly reflects that the tourism sector is fully recovered in the Dominican Republic,” he added.
David Collado said that this exhibition is a record, with more than 176 companies, which clearly reflects that the recovery of tourism is a reality in the Dominican Republic, and that this is an effort by everyone, because "the Dominican Republic has it all.".
The president of ASONAHORES, Rafael Blanco Tejera, stated: “The contribution and evolution of the tourism industry in the Dominican economy are part of the most important transformations of the productive apparatus, presenting a multiplier effect among the different demands for goods and services that it generates.”.
The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili, congratulated Minister David Collado on his outstanding work, noting that the Dominican Republic is experiencing very dynamic and positive results due to the efforts made. As a result, the country has a seat on the UNWTO's Governing Council, and next year the country will host the world's leading tourism ministers.
“In the next 3 or 4 years, the UNWTO will be talking about the Dominican Republic and three important things: Sustainable development, innovation, and education, where many projects and investments will be made,” Pololikashvili pointed out.
