The Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, Francisco Javier Garcia, denied that there have been massive cancellations of reservations for tourists who plan to enjoy their vacations in the Dominican Republic.
“To say that 74 tourists out of every hundred who were going to visit the Dominican Republic decided not to do it these days is an absurdity, a lie that no one believes,” he told reporters after a meeting with businessmen and tour operators in the Big Apple.
Garcia denied that there was a 74% cancellation in the reservations because of the disinformation campaign that has been mounted against Dominican tourism, officials sustain.
These statements come after ForwardKeys published and claimed that from the 1st to the 19th June, bookings for July and August from the USA to the Dominican Republic have fallen by 74.3% compared to the same period in 2018.
The highest Public tourism authority affirmed that hotel occupancy is high, despite the season and he quoted that, “in Puerto Plata, for example, there are hotels that are literally full.”
Meeting with tour operators
Garcia met last Friday with over twenty tour operators from this New York as part of his strategy to counter what the official believes is a disinformation campaign that was mounted against Dominican tourism.
In each of its meetings, the minister guaranteed that they “will succeed against the negative campaign of which our country is a victim,” while explaining to the entrepreneurs the reality of the Caribbean country, considered the leader of tourism in the region.
“I can guarantee that the Dominican Republic is a safe destination and that it is not true that there is an avalanche of deaths and much less mysterious deaths,” said the Minister of Tourism.
At the meeting with Garcia, representatives of Apple Leisura Group, Boiokit.com, Expedia Group, Flight Center, Jetset Vacation and Vacation Express, among others, participated.
The tour operators appreciated the explanations offered by Minister Garcia and expressed their willingness to continue working to sell the Dominican Republic as a tourism destination.
The tour operators, who cover the entire North American market, let the Tourism Minister know how much the Dominican destination represents in the volume of operations they handle.
He also met with the Supermarket Owners Association of New York City and executives of the Public Relations company that is managing the Dominican Republic campaign in the United States.