NewsWhore
07-27-2011, 03:00 PM
The president of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Asonahores), Juan Llibre, revealed yesterday that the national tourism sector is losing ground to its competitors in the Caribbean, the main sign being that in the first half of the year tourist arrivals grew by barely 3.5% against a 5% growth in the region. "It is a negative signal, which is a cause for concern, and that should take us to review our situation, to see what we are failing to do and what we should be doing," he said during a press conference in which he announced the Annual Dominican Tourism Forum 2011, which is called "Where are we going?" According to Llibre, the greatest fall off in tourists was felt in June, from a 4% increase in May to just a 3.5% increase in June.
According to Diario Libre and other newspapers, he attributed this decrease to the reduction in international promotions by the Ministry of Tourism, which has seen its budget reduced by the state-ordered cutbacks, and the tax on avtur airplane fuel, which increased the price of airfares across the board.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Fausto Fernandez admitted that the country's international promotion as a tourist destination has been reduced due to lack of funds. He reminded Llibre that Tourism is included among the institutions that were recently subject to a 12% funding cut. The Dominican Association of Tourism Journalists (Adompretur) also complained of the budget cutbacks for Tourism, which they said "would be a very bad business for the country," due to the sector's importance in generating hard currency.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
According to Diario Libre and other newspapers, he attributed this decrease to the reduction in international promotions by the Ministry of Tourism, which has seen its budget reduced by the state-ordered cutbacks, and the tax on avtur airplane fuel, which increased the price of airfares across the board.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Fausto Fernandez admitted that the country's international promotion as a tourist destination has been reduced due to lack of funds. He reminded Llibre that Tourism is included among the institutions that were recently subject to a 12% funding cut. The Dominican Association of Tourism Journalists (Adompretur) also complained of the budget cutbacks for Tourism, which they said "would be a very bad business for the country," due to the sector's importance in generating hard currency.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)