Haydee Rainieri: quality tourism

[NewsWhore]

The president of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Asonahores), Haydee Kuret de Rainieri, has called for an initiative to place emphasis on the development of a high quality Dominican tourism product as a way of maximizing the great opportunities that the tourism sector has in the country and across the Caribbean region. The Punta Cana hotel executive represented the tourism sector at the "Second Grand Business Forum: World Crisis Challenges and Opportunities" that was held from 26 to 28 February in Casa de Campo, La Romana as part of the "Grand Andalusian Fair in the Caribbean". Mrs Rainieri said that with the impetus of a quality Dominican tourism there is also an obligation to diversify the offers, overcome the problems of infrastructure, increase promotion, care for the image of the destination on the international scene and strengthen the "Caribbean" brand name. The Asonahores executive presented the wonders of the island to business representatives and authorities from the Spanish province of Andalucia, Puerto Rico and the United States. She pointed out that of the 23 islands registered in the World Tourism Organization (WTO) just five of them garner 67% of all tourism in the region. The Dominican Republic has the largest share (20%) followed by Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica and the Bahamas. None of the remaining islands receive more than 500,000 visitors a year. Mrs. Rainieri closed her presentation by saying that the battle for tourism in the region "is based on the quality of service", and currently the requirement is even greater for the Dominican Republic to maintain the position it has earned in the principal markets whose economies are being affected by the economic crisis.

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