“For every 10,000 tourists we add to the number of arrivals, RD$100 million in tax revenues are generated,” said Wednesday the president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores), at the opening ceremony of the 35th Commercial Exposition of the institution.
David Llibre highlighted that with the arrival of this amount of tourists, 12 million dollars in gross foreign exchange are also brought in, 882 new jobs are created and 122 new rooms are required.
He stressed that the 5.5 million tourists received until August 2023, means a growth of 19% compared to 2019 and 13% in relation to the year 2022, a period of “very good figures”, so that, “this increase represents a direct impact on Dominican society”.
The tourism businessman understands that these data are “good news for tourism companies, but even more so for the country, which has in this sector a firm pillar to underpin the growth of the economy”.
For Llibre, tourism is an important ally of commerce, industry, services, and agricultural activity, due to the high direct, indirect, and induced impact on their productive activities. “Undoubtedly, we are an engine of development that has a direct or indirect impact on most of the other productive sectors,” he said.
He cited the Central Bank report that explains that tourism activity continues to maintain its position as the one with the highest incidence in the aggregate growth of the Monthly Economic Activity Indicator, so far in 2023. The dynamism of this sector responds mainly to the external demand for tourism services offered by the country.
Purchases for RD$300 billion
According to Llibre, projections on the increase in tourist arrivals and the growth of this activity indicate that tourism sector purchases will exceed RD$300 billion in 2023.
He cited information offered by the Ministry of Tourism that in 2022, goods and services acquired by the tourism sector from the national productive apparatus totaled more than 288 billion pesos, of which 17% were products of agricultural origin.
In relation to the fair, he argued that the Asonahores Trade Show is presented as an “interesting portrait of the impact of tourism on the Dominican economy”, and said that with the 35th edition of the fair “we remember that half a century has passed since the first time it was held in the parking lot of the now defunct Caracol Hotel in Puerto Plata”.
Celebration of the fair
The Asonahores Commercial Exposition registered a new record with the participation of 175 companies occupying 342 stands in more than 4,000 square meters at the Blue Mall Punta Cana, which confirms this business event as “the most important, under roof” of those held in the country, informed Andrés Marranzini, executive vice president of Asonahores and responsible for the organization and direction of the event.
“Today’s final figure speaks for itself. We have 342 stands, occupying 175 exhibiting companies and 61 sponsors, 20 conferences, press conferences and agreements and the minimum estimate is 5,000 visitors during the three days,” he said when speaking at the opening ceremony of the meeting.
In this thirty-fifth meeting, he explained: “We will receive participants from the finance, energy, communications, technology, information technology, security, kitchen equipment and utensils, food, beverages, furniture, construction, and sports equipment, among others”.
He also informed that organizations such as the United States Trade Promotion Agency and the Costa Rican Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer) are participating for the first time.
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