Dominican Tourism Press Association Suggests Multi-Sector Cholera Management Approach

Dominican Tourism Press Association Suggests Multi-Sector Cholera Management Approach
Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, 13/06/2011

“is very sensitive to the inappropriate management of information and that the Dominican Republic, as a leading Caribbean tourism destination, has major competitors who are prepared to take advantage and exploit any circumstance to weaken and gain advantage from the DR as a destination.”

The Dominican Tourism Press Association (ADOMPRETUR), calling for special attention to be paid to the cholera situation in the country, recommended the creation of a multi-sector organization made up of public entities and civil society to coordinate actions necessary to control the epidemic.

Osvaldo Soriano, president of ADOMPRETUR, foresees this organization functioning as a type of office or department where preventive strategies and action to contain the advance of cholera can be discussed and implemented.

Mr. Soriano suggested the “cholera office” be headed by the Ministers of Public Health, Tourism, Environment and the Armed Forces and to include membership of the Dominican Medical College (CMD), the National Health Security (SENASA), the Dominican Municipal League (LMD), the Dominican Federation of Municipalities (FEDOMU), the Association of Hotels and Tourism (ASONAHORES) and the Dominican College of Journalists (CPD), among other organizations representative of the population.

Soriano warned that tourism activity “is very sensitive to the inappropriate management of information and that the Dominican Republic, as a leading Caribbean tourism destination, has major competitors who are prepared to take advantage and exploit any circumstance to weaken and gain advantage from the DR as a destination.”
 
Among the priorities of this proposed office would be to design and implement a major campaign to orient, sensitize and educate the public on cholera, its impact on the health of the population and national economy; how to confront the epidemic and deliver the message that it is the responsibility of everyone to get enthusiastically involved in this campaign.

It should also oversee the creation of a strong current of public opinion that disseminates these initiatives through the media, promotes participation in all sectors and urges them to get involved in the struggle against cholera, according to a press release from the Office of Public Relations of ADOMPRETUR.

Sending a Clear Signal

Taking into account that bad news travels fast and that news of cholera will inevitably affect Dominican tourism, Soriano is proposing that the DR sends a clear message to the tourism markets around the world that the country is being proactive in its efforts to combat the spread of the disease. He says it is important to show that Dominican authorities are working together to confront the situation and therefore guarantee that effective measures are in place in all of the country’s tourism centers.

 “ADOMPRETUR, as an institution with over 200 specialized journalists around the country, offers its unconditional support for this initiative and is immediately dealing with the tasks at hand,” said Soriano. He pointed out that tourism is the most important economic activity in the DR with more than 4.2 million visitors yearly who bring in over $4 billion dollars, which in turn provides jobs, agricultural production, construction, transport, culture, financial services and decentralized development.