In inaugurating the event in the Punta Cana tourist resort in the east of the country, Dominican President Luis Abinader thanked everyone for their presence amid the health Covid-19 situation, highlighted the Dominicans as good hosts, and invited those present to feel at home.

We are the children of the new world, we are a region of common conquerors who have faced great challenges and we have triumphed in the face of them all, the President noted.

‘Here we meet in the twilight of our last great challenge, the pandemic, to demonstrate that we also have the capacity to come out on top in this case,’ he added.

In the Dominican Republic, he said, ‘the recovery of tourism in our region is beginning and we are going to bring tourists from all over the world to enjoy our beaches and mountains, our gastronomy, our history and our experiences.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili, stressed the importance of unity among all to ensure that tourism recovers as desired, and grows, in order to save the thousands of jobs lost with the pandemic.

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