Dominican Republic Counters Negative Publicity After U.S. Tourist Deaths
Photo Credit: La Romana region in the Dominican Republic, where one of the Bahia Principe properties is located. Ministry of Tourism Dominican Republic / Courtesy imnage
Skift Take
Media reports of seven U.S. tourist deaths in the last year in the Dominican Republic certainly sound alarming. But judgment should be reserved until a connection between them is established. Otherwise the industry may needlessly suffer.
A slew of U.S. tourists deaths have occurred under mysterious circumstances in the Dominican Republic in recent weeks. Three occurred in May at the same chain of resorts, the Bahia Principe, within days of each other. Another two occurred at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana months apart. A sixth occurred in June 2018.
Adding to the panicked news reports, Red Sox player David Ortiz, who is originally from the country, was shot in a Santo Domingo nightclub on Sunday. He was flown to Boston for treatment.
Presented one after the other on cable news, it can all sound extreme. And in a nation that welcomed 3.2 million American tourists in 2018 — accounting for roughly half of the country's inbound tourist total — there's certainly a risk factor to all the bad press. There are already reports that some travel agents are rebooking spoo
