The executive vice president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism (Asonahores), Andrés Marranzini, estimates that the arrival of tourists will exceed four million visitors this year.
He explained that the goal is possible and that vaccinations against COVID-19 will strongly reactivate travel. “I think it is not unreasonable to think of such a number, seeing that in the second semester, with the advance of the vaccination process, a high season comes and perhaps we can return to have the numbers of 400,000 to 500,000 visitors per month,” he explained during an interview broadcast by Telesistema.
However, the executive vice president of Asonahores clarifies that to reach the goal of four million tourists at the end of the year, Canada has to participate as an issuing country, which remains closed. “If we have availabilities from some European countries, it is much easier, and that is what will determine whether or not we can exceed four million or more,” he said.
Marranzini said that once the vaccination in the world is achieved, it could reach 6.5 million in 2022. The data contrasts with the expectation of the Central Bank, which said last month that the Dominican Republic must wait until 2023 to return to the levels of visitors exhibiting before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marranzini trusted that in 2024 tourism entrepreneurs will be able to recover the losses recorded during the pandemic. Regarding the recovery of jobs in the sector, he explained that this has been happening and guaranteed that, once the situation normalizes, even more people will be hired to attend the hotels that are being built.
Source:
Diario Libre
