Dominican Republic Intensifies Cooperation with Canada, Third Largest Tourist Market

Canadian Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Patricia Fortier, said it looks like North American investment and tourist flow to the DR are likely to increase in 2009.

Ms. Fortier affirmed that indeed “there is a wide range of possibilities” to increase cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR)

The diplomat made this statement at the end of a meeting with Tourism Minister Francisco Javier García in which they touched on central themes on the bilateral tourism agenda which included an interest in deepening cooperation agreements as well as Canadian investments.

Ms. Fortier affirmed that indeed “there is a wide range of possibilities” to increase cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR) by virtue of the DR’s growing importance as a tourism destination for Canadians. This was evidenced in the past five years by a sustained increase of Canadian visitors to the DR.

The Ambassador stressed that she shared the sense of optimism felt by the Dominican Tourism Ministry in terms of the increased tourism flow from Canada, notwithstanding the economic crisis that persists in the international market.

The meeting with Minister García and Ambassador Fortier was also attended by Andy Jacques and Natalia Larocque, commercial attaché and Consul General of the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic.

The number of Canadian tourists in the DR is only exceeded by the United States. This figure experienced an increase of 17.9% last year bringing the number to 561,534 by the end of November, according to recent figures released by the Central Bank.

Andy Jacques, Patricia Fortier, Francisco Javier García and Natalia Larocque,