The Dominican Republic is hopeful that the announcement of the lifting of restrictions due to the pandemic will positively impact tourism from Russia, assured the Dominican ambassador in Moscow, Hans Dannenberg Castellanos.
“We have one of the lowest mortality rates in the world and the pandemic is clearly declining in our country, so this is very positive news for all Russians who want to go to the DR as a tourist destination,” he said.
He indicated that “we continue to welcome the Russians; and we assure that specific protocols will be maintained in the hotels for any situation that arises, although we hope that this does not happen.
“Russia has become the first country in Europe that sends tourists to the DR,” said Dannenberg, specifying that from September to December of last year, 172,262 Russians arrived.
He explained that these figures equal or exceed those of the pre-pandemic years. For example, in December 2021 alone, 51,838 tourists arrived, while in the same month of 2017, 2018, and 2019 there were around 25,000.
The ambassador stated that in January 2022, more than 40,000 Russians decided to spend their vacations in the Dominican Republic, and it is expected that these figures will continue, according to the Sputnik agency.
“We are working with all tour operators to maintain direct flights throughout the year, and also see our country as a regional connection point to other destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America,” he added.
It is recalled that the president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, announced on February 16 the suspension of the mandatory use of masks and other restrictions derived from the global Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition to leaving behind the mandatory use of the face mask, it will not be necessary to present the vaccination card to access public and private spaces, and the restrictions to access both types of sites are no longer in effect.
The government decision came just one year after the start of the National Vaccination Plan, considered by the leader of the Executive as a collective victory.