Starting today, with the arrival of the first tourists at different airports in the country and the implementation of a strict health protocol, the tourism sector begins the journey to regain its dynamism and leadership in the region, after the cessation of its activities by more than three months as a result of the expansion of COVID-19 in the country.
LISTÍN DIARIO confirmed that this Wednesday 30 flights will arrive in the country through the different international airports. Through the Americas 14 regular flights are scheduled.
Three aircraft will arrive in Punta Cana, while the arrival of 13 flights is estimated at Cibao Airport. Operations at the Gregorio Luperón airport in Puerto Plata will begin on July 4 with a daily flight to New York and from day 7 will be added a daily flight to Miami.
With the closure of the air, sea and land borders, on March 20, the hotel occupation began the decline of its activities, affecting more than 350,000 direct and indirect employees that supported the industry without chimneys.
Likewise, the drop in tourism caused the Hotels, Bars and Restaurants subsector to register a 34.1% decrease in its economic rhythm between January and April, according to Central Bank statistics.
Similarly, the agricultural sector suffered large losses due to the closure of hotels, since the tourism industry acquired 45% of its inputs from local producers before the pandemic.
In an exhibition on the reality of tourism, the businessman and president of the Puntacana Group, Frank Rainieri, stated that in 2019 hoteliers bought US $ 870 million from the agricultural sector.
Hotel rooms
According to the executive vice president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores), Andrés Marranzini, the operations of the sector will start with only 30% of the rooms available in the country and depending on demand, more rooms will be reintegrated.
Currently, the country has nearly 90,000 tourist rooms, so this Wednesday an estimated 27,000 rooms will be available to tourists. In the eastern area, the largest tourist hub in the country, there are some 44,000 hotel rooms, of which around 13,200 will be available from today.
Loss of income
Frank Rainieri, when analyzing the situation of the sector as a result of Covid-19, estimated that between March and May the Punta Cana airport stopped receiving 600,000 tourists, which implied losses of over US $ 700 million for the country, calculating an expense average of US $ 1,200 per tourist, citing Central Bank figures.
He added that cement production was also affected by the cessation of activities in the tourism sector, pointing out that 15% of the country’s cement production is absorbed by the construction of hotels and houses in tourist areas.
Health protocol
Last night at 7:00 was when the hoteliers received the general protocol of the tourist activities, where the measures by tourism subsectors are established: hotels, tourist transport, activities outside the hotel, restaurants, bars, casinos, among others.
The document that contains 40 pages presents the steps to follow to avoid the spread of the Covid-19 in the check-in process, baggage handling, common areas, use of beaches, swimming pools, jacuzzis, events, housekeeper and other services from establishments like hostels, guest houses, hostels and timeshare properties.
At airports, the entrance to terminals of people who are not passengers, part of the aircraft crew or personnel working in the facilities will be prohibited, as stated in the “Draft protocol to reactivate air services in the Dominican Republic” , prepared by the plenary session of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC).
The document indicates that only in the case of travelers who need special assistance or minors, a companion will be allowed to enter the terminal.
Here it is also established that the airlines will organize the boarding process for groups of 10 passengers, starting with those at the rear of the plane, while the rest will wait their turn sitting or in a place enabled for waiting, duly signposted, respecting the distance security between people.
The spirits of the sector
The president of the Santo Domingo Hotel Association, Roberto Henríquez, yesterday showed his satisfaction at the opening of flights and hotels.
Santo Domingo is the center of business tourism, so Henríquez trusts that congresses and conventions will be reactivated shortly and the Dominican capital will continue to be recognized for these offers.
Meanwhile, the president of the Eastern Hotels Association (Asoleste), Ernesto Veloz, also feels optimistic because the hoteliers were desperate for the airports to reopen and although tourists will arrive little by little, the sector has already started its recovery.
CHAINS
Brands
Some of the recognized hotel brands that closed their doors since March due to the pandemic in the country are Punta, AMResorts, Bahía Príncipe, Barceló, Blue Diamond, Excellence Collection, Meliá Hotels, Hard Rock, Iberostar, Lopesan and Marriott.
Demand Ernesto Veloz reported that chains with five hotels will open only one to start.
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