Introduction

The first data that was offered to the public on the start
of COVID-19 dates from the end of December 2019 in
Wuhan, People's Republic of China. Several months
later, the disease had spread to other territories outside
the Asian country, for which; on March 11, 2020 it was
declared a pandemic, since, according to the World
Health Organization, WHO (2020, p.1) "more than
118,000 cases had been registered in 114 countries, and
4,291 people had lost their lives" .

The year 2020 witnessed one of the most important

events of the 20th century, the emergence of the COVID-
19 pandemic; which had a notorious impact on almost
all aspects of life in society and, therefore, tourism was
no exception.

Consequently, this pandemic has had a marked impact

on social, economic, environmental dimensions and,
without a doubt, on health. However, this essay analyzes
the challenges posed by COVID-19 in relation to its
impact on the tourism sector, starting from a reflective
view from the Dominican Republic.
The Tourism Sector and the Impact of Covid-19 in
the Dominican Republic.

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) caused the

arrival of tourists to the country to plummet 62.7% last
year, the largest drop in the history of the sector,
according to the results presented by the Central Bank.
In 2020 the Dominican destinations received 2,405,315
tourists, of whom 1,699,194 were foreigners and
706,121 non-resident Dominicans. The figure
represents a net drop of 4,040,721 visitors, compared to
the previous year.

The pandemic caused the country to go back last year,

in terms of tourist arrivals, to the figure recorded in
1998, the year in which 2,309,139 visitors were
received.

Since 1978, the period in which the bank began to

record the sector's statistics, it is the biggest debacle
suffered by tourism, surpassing the 9.77% drop in 1991
and the second time it has experienced a collapse for
two consecutive years.

The spread of the virus forced the Dominican

Government to close the air, sea and land borders in
mid-March, which caused the flow of visitors during the
second quarter (April-June) of 2020 to be almost nil,
compared to the same period. of 2019, falling 99.9%.

“However, after the reopening of the airports in July,

tourism has been gradually recovering,” highlights the
bank in a report on the importance of the sector for the
country and its recent evolution in the context of COVID-
19 and prospects for recovery.
From 1998 to 2019, Dominican tourism had an average
growth rate of 5.11%, a figure that drops to 2.16% if the
drop in 2020 is added.

During the referred period, the sector only fell in 2001,

2002 and 2019, registering -3.22%, -2.46% and -1.87%,
respectively, according to the monetary and financial
institution.

Recovery in July

The first of July marked the beginning of the recovery of

the sector that, although in the following two months
there was instability in the arrival of tourists, as of
October the figure has been in constant growth, adding
1,011,224 in the second half of last year.

“To give you an idea of the magnitude of the

improvement experienced so far, taking into account
the figures for December 2020, the arrival of non-
resident visitors (foreigners and Dominicans) reached
348,464 tourists, representing 55.8% of the total. of
tourists who arrived in the country in December 2019”,
highlights the report.

The Central Bank points out that COVID-19 arrived just

when the national tourism sector was beginning to
resume its growth trend, after the adverse impact on
flight reservations to the country as a result of the death
of several American tourists in May and June 2019.
The rapid expansion of the virus caused the World
Health Organization to determine less than two months
as a pandemic, the disease that began as cases of
pneumonia in Wuhan, China.

This decision caused governments around the world to

close land, air and sea borders to prevent the arrival
their countries from the virus that until now was known
as coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, a variant of other viruses
that causes respiratory conditions similar to
pneumonia.

The country adopted the border closure measure in

March 2020, as part of the initiatives implemented by
the government to deal with the coronavirus, but by that
date, the virus was already in the country, it was about
a 64-year-old Italian tourist, the first reported case in La
Altagracia province.

Hundreds of flights to and from the country were

canceled and with it the closure of airline services,
which reported millionaire losses due to the cessation
of their operations.

During 2020, there was a 63% reduction in non-

resident passengers compared to the previous year,
where there were a total of 6,446,036 visitors to the
country by air.

However, the monthly average of entries and exits

remained above 112 thousand people, allowing
Dominicans and non-resident foreigners to return to
their country of domicile.

While the arrival of passengers by sea was reduced by

more than 69%, compared to 2019. During the months
of April to December 2020, there were no arrivals
through the country's ports, which were enabled only to
receive shipments of fuel and food rations.

Trade on the Dominican-Haitian border was suspended

after being officially closed by the authorities of the
neighboring country on March 17, 2020 to prevent the
spread of the Coronavirus outbreak to the neighboring
country.

About accommodation

Owners of small and large lodgings kept their doors

closed for months. According to Filip Gonel, director of
que La Residencia del Paseo, located in Las Terreras; the
reduction of expenses and control of the payroll, was the
strategy to face the reality that the tourism sector is
going through.

One of the difficulties was the deterioration of the

infrastructure, since they did not have all the personnel
to maintain it. Also the limitation to receive diners in the
restaurant, led him to offer delivery services during the
permitted curfew hours.
Despite the gradual recovery of tourism with the visits
of the Dominicans, he says that they need the tourism
they extracted to achieve higher occupancy levels,
equivalent to previous years.
The pandemic that has been housed in the country for a
year, has generated more than 88,000 thousand formal
tourist unemployment and has represented losses in
the sector of more than 2,445 million dollars, for a
reduction of 60% in relation to June of last year
according to documents available on the portal of the
Central Bank.

Entrepreneurship

The bars and restaurants that operate in the country,

especially in the colonial zone and around the port of
Santo Domingo and the vicinity of the Ozama River; one
of the favorite places tourists, due to its historical value,
were also strongly impacted in economic terms, after
the declaration of a state of emergency by former
president Danilo Medina, on March 19, 2020.

"The economic impact is in sight, but we are in a

position to restore our economy and the careful
implementation of health protocols will largely depend
on the success we have in the return of tourists to the
country."
 Conclusion

Tourism, one of the most dynamic and job-creating

sectors of our time, is one of the most affected by the
current crisis.

The economic recovery must focus on protecting jobs

and workers; guarantee decent work; and support the
informal economy (54% of all workers), MSMEs and
strategic value chains for the country such as tourism,
construction and free zones. But we must go further;
This recovery is also an opportunity to transform the
productive apparatus by accelerating the digitization
process, betting on the green economy, incorporating
inclusive business practices and building more resilient
economic sectors.

To ensure a response adapted to the great current

challenges, it is essential that the Government of the
Dominican Republic and all development agents have
analytical tools capable of providing firm evidence to
guide decision-making and the formulation of public
policies. Thus, the United Nations System, in its role of
technical advice and accompaniment to the state, has
opted to support the continuous analysis of the
situation so that the results that are produced can guide
decision-making and the formulation of policies.
adapted to the current situation and that are proven
efficient and cost-effective.

In the context of this crisis, the immediate response

must be undertaken with an eye to the future, since the
long-term development trajectory will be affected by
the decisions the country makes now and the support it
receives. This will depend on the country's ability to
advance in its socioeconomic indicators and achieve the
objectives of the 2030 Agenda.

Tourism, one of the most dynamic and job-creating

sectors of our time, is one of the most affected by the
current crisis.