If you have been following the recent media reports about the Dominican Republic, you will probably be thinking should I visit?
The answer to that question is YES you should. The media attention has made us who live here very upset. The Dominican people are a very proud nation and go out of their way to make visitors welcome so lets put things into perspective and how our country is responding to the reports in the media.
Unfortunately people do pass away on holiday in every country in the world for various reasons and the Dominican Republic is no exception. The public need to be reminded that the deaths which have occurred at six all-inclusive resorts do not reflect an entire country of more than 10 million people. As unfortunate as these incidents have been, our beautiful island does not deserve to be blacklisted. With normal travel precautions, you can still have a safe trip to the Dominican Republic.
NBC News and Business Insider maintain that nothing unusual is happening in our country. Business Insider also reports that if violence was a threat, the murder rate in the country us actually lower than many US cities and on the decline. To put things in context, the murder rate in D.R. was 10.4 per every 100,000 people in 2018. For comparison, in 2017, St. Louis Missouri saw 66.1 murders per every 100,000 people; Baltimore saw 55.8, and in Detroit, there were 39.8. That means that the Dominican Republic is far less dangerous than some of the U.S.’s most well-known cities. As CNN points out, Americans are “more likely to be killed in the U.S. than in the Dominican Republic”
What is the Dominican Republic doing to improve?
In 2018, a nationwide 911 system was implemented to further curb crime, which led to a 27 percent decrease in the number of criminal acts reported against foreign tourists. Most recently further initiatives have been put in place including doubling hotel inspections, increasing compliance with food and beverage protocols and establishing a multilingual emergency tourist center to connect visitors better with government agencies. ServSafe training and accreditation is being provided for the country’s inspectors to help boost food safety standards across the hotels and restaurants.
The Dominican Republic has a history of hospitality, tourism has grown so fast over the past 50 years. In 1984 the tourism sector outpaced sugar as the country’s leading foreign exchange earner. By 1987 the number of visitors first exceeded 1 million. This July, the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic reported that more than 40 million tourists had visited the country over the last seven years.
So, should you still come to our beautiful country? Absolutely!!. Step outside the All Inclusive resorts and you will find some of the most humble and hospitable humans in the world, not to mention the most stunning scenery, especially here on the North Coast.
We look forward to welcoming you.