R. Blanco. File
Santo Domingo.- The rooms rented through platforms such as Airbnb already account for 25% of Dominican Republic’s hotel offer, according to sector business leaders in the third annual Asonahores Tourism Investment Forum.
The panelists at the event, Frank Rainieri, of Grupo Puntacana, Alejandro Zozaya, of Apple Leisure Group and Rafael Blanco, of the Viva Wyndham hotel chain, criticized the government’s timid reaction to regulate that sector of the collaborative economy that they affirm, poses unfair competition for tourism.
Blanco said the country’s hotel offer is around 110,000 rooms and that Airbnb already offers about 20,000 rooms. “We cannot explain the lack of interest of the authorities.”
He added that it’s a fiscal situation that also affects the Dominican State.
“The hotels are paying 28% more in taxes than those rooms that do not declare taxes to the treasury.”