Punta Cana.- The president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores)Rafael Blanco Tejera considered yesterday that the sector is at its best because this year seven million tourists will arrive, it will generate 8.4 billion dollars and foreign direct investment will amount to about one billion dollars.
He highlighted the diversification of the sector, which has not only been limited to the sun and beach market, but also cultural and medical tourism.
He said that tourism Samana is thriving, Puerto Plata with new hotels Santiago with a hotel and Santo Domingowhich is the capital of Central America and the Caribbean.
He explained that the achievements have been achieved as a result of joint work between the public and private sectors, led by the Minister of TourismDavid Collado.
Leading the inauguration of the Asonahores 2022 Commercial Exhibition at the Blue Mall Punta Cana hotel, Blanco Tejera said that the space has 4,200 meters and 410 stands. He highlighted that the sector contributes more than 16 percent of the gross domestic product and purchases from the agricultural sector are 850 million dollars a year.
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He considered that pending issues are the approval of the Territorial Development Law and the modification of the Labor Code.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Tourism said that this month will end up having a historic number in the arrival of tourists.
He said that this year he has achieved a recovery in the sector, despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the passage of Hurricane Fiona, especially in the eastern region.
The executive vice president of Asonahores, Andrés Marranzini Grullón, also spoke; the CEO of Grupo Velutini, Luis Emilio Valentín, and the secretary of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashboli, who highlighted the importance of education and the achievements made by the tourism sector in the country.
The president of Puntacana, Frank Rainieri; the administrator of the Banco de Reservas, Samuel Pereyra; the head of the General Directorate of Internal Taxes, Luis Valdez, and the president of the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic, Celso Juan Marranzini.
The exhibition is dedicated to the United States for being the largest issuer of Dominican tourism, for which the consul general of that nation, Greg Degas, received a plaque of recognition. Degas said the United States has ties in both the private sector and the government.
Marranzini stressed that this exhibition is the largest indoor business platform in the Caribbean region, in which those who wish to sell to hotels have the opportunity to present their products and services related to the tourism industry in the exhibition scheme and in business rounds.
He stressed that the exhibition is an excellent opportunity for suppliers of goods and services of the national tourism industry to exhibit their products, first-hand, to buyers and directors of hotels and restaurants.
