Yesterday’s Diario Libre had a headline that moved the bowels of my body: “Drop in tourist arrivals in the first half was 60%.”
It noted that we had gone from receiving 3.88 million visitors in the first 6 months of 2019 to receiving 1.53 million tourists in the first half of 2020, representing a loss in tourist reception of 2.35 million.
Furthermore, he cited statistics of the first quarter of 2020 vs. the same period in 2019, to indicate that there has been a drop in average spending of approximately US$5.00 per tourist per day, on a basis of US$136.45.
The foregoing indicates that the forecast that I dared to make on Huchi Lora’s television program, that the sector would have an estimated loss of US$2.2 billion for the first half of this year, fell short.
What is the current challenge?
The current challenge was not faced by any Director of Tourism, Secretary or Minister. Even the always well-remembered D. Ángel Miolan did not leave ZERO tourists in the country. That is the reality facing the Government’s Minister of Tourism, which begins next August 16, led by the elected President, Luis Abinader Corona.
What are the opportunities?
The unique opportunity is to work inwards, in the first 4 months of Government, and to make the government’s program for the tourism sector of the PRM a reality, which includes long-term wishes in the sector, among others, a strategic plan for the development of the tourism sector for the next 10 years; a land use and destination plan; and the establishment of the tourism promotion trust, relying on what is established in Article 19 of Law 158-01 on the Promotion of Tourism Development.
President Abinader simply has to fulfill his dream of being a tourist entrepreneur, which he has been, of being a leader in the tourism sector, which he has been, and appointing the most capable person on his team, with the best knowledge of the industry, so that, empowering him, to “Step and start” on day 1 and not having to wait for anyone for anything.
The chosen one must have a primary relationship with the airlines that fly to our country, with international and national tour operators, the hotel sector and industry allies to promote the development of the tourism sector based on a public-private collaboration platform, necessary to boost the recovery in the first 4 months of 2021.
It is time to recover the Dominican economy, and start what President Danilo Medina called “the locomotive of our economy” or President Valera of Panama called “his Panama Canal.”
It is ZERO hour and in it, I wish the greatest success to the next Government; their success will be of the Dominican people.
Source:
Diario Libre
