Dom Rep hotels seek to reassure Benjamin Coren
Agents have been assured travel to the Dominican Republic is safe following a spate of unexplained deaths at hotels that have been linked to bootleg alcohol. Nine US tourists have died in the
country in the past year, including at Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana, Excellence Resort in Punta Cana, the Grand Bahia Principe and Luxury Bahia Principe, both in Bouganville, and the Terra Linda Resort in Sosua. Britons Sara and Kevin Taylor
of Poole fell ill at the Grand Bahia Principe in May and cited toxic fumes as the reason for their illness. Te country’s Ministry for
Tourism and the hotels in question
Grand Bahia Principe
“We would like to reassure our
UK trade partners and customers that all Bahia Principe hotels and resorts in the Dominican Republic are operating for guests as normal,” a spokesman said. Te Hard Rock Hotel, which hosts
about half a million guests a year, said it “purchases sealed and unopened products from licensed and reputable vendors” and it would “continue to evaluate and recalibrate protocols”. Tui, through which the Taylors
said the deaths were “isolated incidents” and that properties were “operating as normal”. Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts
said it was “working closely” with authorities and would not comment on ongoing investigations.
River cruise hits record level but growth slows
Harry Kemble
UK and Irish river cruise passenger numbers reached a record level last year but the rate of growth was down on 2017. Passenger numbers increased last
year by 10.4% to 232,300, or 21,900, according to official Clia figures. Tat compared with a 21% hike in 2017 when the total jumped by 36,000. Competition from other markets contributed to the slowdown in
4 20 JUNE 2019
growth, according to Clia UK & Ireland director Andy Harmer. “Te UK is competing with other
nationalities for those beds,” he said. “If the North American market
decides to book early, there will be less beds available for other markets. “Ten per cent growth in any
holiday sector is extremely positive.” Despite the slowdown, the
average duration of cruises taken increased by 12.1%. Te figures, which were released at Clia’s River Cruise Review this week,
also showed the Danube overtook the Rhine to become the most popular river for UK and Irish passengers. Combined, the rivers accounted for 58% of passenger numbers, compared with 53% in 2017. Te Douro experienced the
biggest growth with an increase of almost 15% in passenger numbers. Giles Hawke, Clia UK & Ireland’s
deputy chair and Avalon Waterways’ chief executive, also defended the cruise industry’s safety record. “Cruise lines are more focused
had booked, said it was aware of the issues. “We’d like to reassure customers these are isolated incidents in separate hotels,” a spokesman said. “Holidays are continuing as normal.” Some agents called for answers to give to their concerned customers.
Homeworker Gaynor Tuby,
of the Personal Travel Agents at Co-operative Travel, has customers booked to stay in Bouganville and said she had advised them not to drink from their minibar. “It’s put a lot of people off and
made some nervous,” she said. “Tey should give us some feedback. It sounds like it’s not isolated.” Tuby added that hotels “should
get rid of their [drink] stock and refresh with new stock so we can put our clients’ minds at rest.” Tourism minister Francisco
Javier Garcia said: “We are confident we can provide a definitive answer as soon as possible. Te necessary measures will be taken to make the country even safer for all visitors.”
The Danube became the most popular river for UK and Irish passengers last year
on safety compared with any other transport sector,” he said. “Tere will always be accidents
and it is about making sure that we understand how to stop them. Tese events are few and far between. “If you look at ocean cruise and
river cruise, it is fair to say that their safety records are second to none.” Asked about possible overcrowding
on European waterways, Hawke said river cruise passengers were just a “tiny proportion” of overall tourist numbers at destinations.
travelweekly.co.uk
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