The Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Canada proclaimed its best expectations for Canadian tourism and commercial exchange when, as of September 7, the restrictions for travelers from that North American nation to the Caribbean destination and vice versa will be officially lifted.
Michelle Cohen, Dominican ambassador, highlighted that since May she has been carrying out an intense round of conversations with Canadian airlines and tour operators, with whom she has shared the joint efforts of the Dominican government and the private sector to guarantee the best levels of biosecurity for tourists.
Cohen informed that he joined the efforts and lobbying efforts -to achieve an opening date- on behalf of leaders such as Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce; Bruce Burrows, president of the Maritime Chamber of Commerce; Mike McNaney, president of the National Airline Council of Canada and a score of industry and business associations.
Likewise, following the guidelines of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism, the diplomat has provided information on the progress of the immunization plan of the Dominican Republic, which marks a leadership in the Caribbean and Latin American regions in first and second doses, having also available vaccines for a third booster inoculation.
Cohen emphasized that all the business meetings he has held with Canadian businessmen linked to tourism, commerce, industry and other areas, he has found enough reasons to be optimistic about the reactivation of tourism from the North American country and the commercial exchange.
Air Canada Vacation, AirTransat, WestJet, National Airline Council of Canada, Sunwing Travel Group, OWG Airlines, and the tourism promotion offices, among others, are the entities with which Cohen has had contact as previous steps for the reactivation of flights to the Dominican Republic. “We are going to fill all those seats,” said the ambassador.
Canadian airlines have been operating between three and five weekly flights to the Dominican Republic since July, specifically to the destinations of Punta Cana and Puerto Plata, an activity that will be boosted as of September 7 with the official opening of the Canadian borders. Between June and July the airlines had already transported more than 4,000 passengers with Canadian passports to the DR.
“In all of the aforementioned meetings, we stressed the importance for the Dominican government and the Canadian business sector of the safe reopening of the borders, in order to boost existing trade relations, favoring the business and investment climate and with a view to the economic recovery of both Canada and the Dominican Republic,” said Cohen.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about one million Canadian tourists visited the Dominican Republic, so the recovery of that market is key for the country in its economic recovery process.
“There is a very strong interest from Canadians to return to our destination, the most complete and competitive tourist destination in the Caribbean, which has been adequately prepared for a successful reopening, guaranteeing safe and memorable stays,” said Cohen.
