The Caribbean island state has been described as a success story during the corona pandemic and is praised by the World Tourist Organization, UNWTO, as a safe country. A large-scale program ensures high safety standards and insurance for tourists. With the launch of a vaccination plan there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Travelers do not have to present a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival. However, rapid tests are being performed to randomly selected travelers upon arrival.
The Dominican Republic has many obvious selling points.
In addition to palm-fringed beaches, a quarter of the country consists of national parks and UNESCO-protected nature reserves. Here you can experience pink flamingos in salty lagoons, thousands of humpback whales and rhino iguanas in the Caribbean’s largest lake.
It is also possible to hike in the 3000 meters high mountains in the Cordillera Central, also known as the Dominican Alps, as well as the world’s northernmost tropical rainforest, which has acted as a backdrop for big movies like Jurassic Park and Apocalypse Now.
However, like all other countries in the world, tourism in the Dominican Republic has suffered from the corona pandemic of the past year, but with the rollout of a large-scale vaccination plan, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
On February 22, the country received its first shipment of covid-19 vaccines and launched the “DR Get Vaccinated” campaign. The vaccination plan is divided into three phases and aims to have all the country’s 7.8 million inhabitants vaccinated by the end of 2021.
“Vaccination against coronavirus in the Dominican Republic will have an immediate positive effect on the tourism industry. As vaccination progresses, we will see a drastic decrease in infections and hospitalizations, which will gradually ease restrictions on tourism activities and help strengthen our economy,” said Dominican Tourism Minister David Collado in a comment on the vaccination plan.
It is the hope that herd immunity will strengthen the confidence of international visitors and consolidate the country’s position as the safest destination in the Caribbean.
An example to follow
The Dominican Republic is considered a success story during the corona pandemic.
The Dominican Republic has gained respect for the launch of its Responsible Recovery of Tourism plan. Different international entities have praised the country’s response capacity and the responsible reactivation of tourism under strict security protocols that protect visitors’ and locals’ health.
Last week, the Dominican Republic was visited by the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili. The Secretary-General, who was on holiday with his family, also visited both the Minister of Tourism and President Luis Abinader on the same occasion. Subsequently, Pololikashvili emphasized that the Dominican Republic is a good example of the possibility of traveling both safely and responsibly.
Secretary-General Pololikashvili praised the commitment of the Dominican Government, recognizing that it is not easy to balance the economy and health in a situation such as the current one, stressing that the country is an example to follow.
“We have seen with our own eyes that the Dominican Republic is a safe country,” Pololikashvili said, describing the country as a tourist paradise.
High safety standards and insurance of tourists
“The fact that the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization chose the Dominican Republic as the destination for his family vacation is a sign of confidence, a sign that our rigorous work and respect for security protocols create trust among the international community,” said David Collado, Dominican Republic’s Minister of Tourism.
With a variety of measures to ensure the safety and health of visitors and employees in the tourism industry, the country feels well equipped to receive tourists.
Since 15 September 2020, the Dominican Republic has implemented the Responsible Tourism Recovery Plan program, which includes the provision of a free health plan for tourists covering all types of emergencies.
The program means, among other things, that all tourists staying in a hotel receive a so-called travel assistance plan, which includes coverage in connection with emergencies, telemedicine (ie digitally supported health care services over distance) and accommodation for longer stays. The insurance also covers rebooking of flights in case of infection.
Special protocols have also been introduced for suppliers, contractors and employees in the tourism industry with regular tests and rules for getting in and out of the various holiday resorts.
Covid-19-tests will also be performed on randomly selected travelers upon arrival.
