Tourism representatives in the Dominican Republic have urged the US Government to retract a warning to travellers that the destination is becoming increasingly unsafe.
The State Department issued an advisory on Tuesday, telling US citizens to ‘exercise increased caution’, saying there has been a rise in violent crime rates and reports of sexual assault.
The statement said: “Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide, and sexual assault, is a concern throughout the Dominican Republic.
“The wide availability of weapons, the use and trade of illicit drugs, and a weak criminal justice system contribute to the high level of criminality on the broader scale.”
The department added that people staying in resorts in the Dom Rep are less likely to be in danger as these areas ‘tend to be better policed than urban areas like Santo Domingo’.
The Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (ASONAHORES) has hit back, saying there is no evidence of recent criminal incidents in the tourist areas of the country.
The association added the Dom Rep ‘is one of the safest tourist destinations in the region’, local newspaper Dominican Today reports.
It added tourist representatives ‘hope that the United States will rectify the alert as soon as possible and that the two countries can continue to foster good relations and collaboration’.
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The State Department issued an advisory on Tuesday, telling US citizens to ‘exercise increased caution’, saying there has been a rise in violent crime rates and reports of sexual assault.
The statement said: “Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide, and sexual assault, is a concern throughout the Dominican Republic.
“The wide availability of weapons, the use and trade of illicit drugs, and a weak criminal justice system contribute to the high level of criminality on the broader scale.”
The department added that people staying in resorts in the Dom Rep are less likely to be in danger as these areas ‘tend to be better policed than urban areas like Santo Domingo’.
The Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (ASONAHORES) has hit back, saying there is no evidence of recent criminal incidents in the tourist areas of the country.
The association added the Dom Rep ‘is one of the safest tourist destinations in the region’, local newspaper Dominican Today reports.
It added tourist representatives ‘hope that the United States will rectify the alert as soon as possible and that the two countries can continue to foster good relations and collaboration’.
The post Caribbean hotspot insists it’s safe to visit, despite new travel warning appeared first on Travel Gossip.
Continue reading...
