I. Mattila
Santo Domingo. – The Dominican Republic has the potential to position itself as a safe and reliable destination, diversifying its offer, attracting new types of tourists and establishing itself as cultural, ecological and sustainable, with tourism being a key axis for an inclusive and resilient socio-economic recovery in the face of the crisis of COVID-19.
They are part of the recommendations of Inka Mattila, resident representative of the UNDP, and José Carlos Diez, economist and regional advisor of the organization, in the presentation “Role of Tourism in Socioeconomic Recovery.”
They label tourism “one of the main sources of income and employment at the national level and that its linkage with other productive sectors makes it an essential economic activity for development and economic growth. However, the COVID-19 crisis has slowed their productivity.”
Due to the closed borders and the confinement measures necessary to preserve health, in 2020 tourism as part of GDP shrank -42.5%, and a drop in tourism spending of at least 57% in 2019.