NewsWhore
03-05-2009, 02:20 PM
Security issues led the Dominican Republic to have a lower acceptance by tourists, according to a report by the World Economic Forum on Tourism 2008-2009. According to El Caribe, the report is called "Competitiveness in Travel and Tourism 2009", and the DR is ranked at number 67 of the 133 countries evaluated on 14 points and where safety is considered to be the most important factor. The drop in perception was four places down on the 2007 report. On the question of protection for foreigners, the country dropped to position 101. In 2008 at least 91 foreigners were victims of different types of assaults, including 18 deaths, according to data from the National Police Criminal Investigations Department.
When it came to ground transport, another aspect that was evaluated, in the year 2008, 27 tourists lost their lives, most on the highway between Veron and Higuey in La Altagracia province. Ten foreigners lost their lives on roads in the Puerto Plata area, in the north of the country.
The Forum points out that at these times of crisis, tourism represents an important economic sector for international growth and development. The statement is backed by data from the World Tourism Organization that shows a 2% increase in the number of trips compared to 2007. Despite this overall increase, the report says that the Dominican Republic received 49,353 fewer tourists in 2008. In the Caribbean region, the DR ranked 13th of the 26 countries evaluated. The chief competitor in the Americas, according to the Ministry of Tourism, is Mexico, ranked 6th in the region, behind Canada, the United States, Barbados, Costa Rica and Brazil. The United States recently issued warnings for students planning to spend their Spring Break in Mexico due to the outbreak of wars among drug gangs in many of the main Mexican cities. On a global level, Switzerland and Austria are ranked 1-2 on the list, and Costa Rica is the highest-ranked Latin American country at 42nd on the list.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)
When it came to ground transport, another aspect that was evaluated, in the year 2008, 27 tourists lost their lives, most on the highway between Veron and Higuey in La Altagracia province. Ten foreigners lost their lives on roads in the Puerto Plata area, in the north of the country.
The Forum points out that at these times of crisis, tourism represents an important economic sector for international growth and development. The statement is backed by data from the World Tourism Organization that shows a 2% increase in the number of trips compared to 2007. Despite this overall increase, the report says that the Dominican Republic received 49,353 fewer tourists in 2008. In the Caribbean region, the DR ranked 13th of the 26 countries evaluated. The chief competitor in the Americas, according to the Ministry of Tourism, is Mexico, ranked 6th in the region, behind Canada, the United States, Barbados, Costa Rica and Brazil. The United States recently issued warnings for students planning to spend their Spring Break in Mexico due to the outbreak of wars among drug gangs in many of the main Mexican cities. On a global level, Switzerland and Austria are ranked 1-2 on the list, and Costa Rica is the highest-ranked Latin American country at 42nd on the list.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)