海角大神

Since last year, as many as 10 U.S. tourists have died while staying at all-inclusive resorts in the Dominican Republic. Local officials say these fatalities aren鈥檛 linked and are not suspicious; in some cases, however, relatives say guests fell ill after eating or drinking at certain resorts. The bad publicity has led to droves of Americans to cancel summer vacations 鈥� flight bookings in July and August are down 鈥� to a country whose economy is built around tourism.

This includes all-inclusive resorts that attract millions of tourists with the promise of international travel with the security and amenities of home; enclaves of wraparound security in often poor, unstable nations. But the reality is more complicated. International hotel chains, whether in the D.R., Mexico, Vietnam, or Fiji, can鈥檛 entirely seal off their facilities from the outside world, creating a clash of expectations that serve as an example of double standards. Does justice for tourists mean justice for all?

鈥淔or locals ... it takes twice, or three times the effort to get police attention following a crime,鈥� says Juana Pacheco, who owns a gift shop on a pedestrian street in Santo Domingo. Lately she has felt the need to be extra vigilant after an increase in muggings in the area, and wonders why authorities aren鈥檛 investing in public-safety services that benefit everyone.

鈥淚鈥檓 not aware of the resources that have gone toward these [tourist] cases, but there are other important things that should be worked on here,鈥� she says.

The D.R. is one of the most visited international destinations by U.S. travelers, who make up nearly one-third of the nation鈥檚 6.5 million annual tourists.

All-inclusive resorts are popular with foreigners as a safe way to experience a Caribbean beach holiday, screened off from local communities. But this isolation can be illusory 鈥� and it鈥檚 not limited to the D.R. In Mexico, tourists in Cancun have reported being served聽, and possibly targeted for robberies on resort grounds after. In other popular tourist destinations there are reports of assaults by hotel staff,聽 in hotel rooms followed by deaths, or poorly cleaned air ducts leading to severe illnesses.

In some of the cases recently documented in the Dominican Republic, families reportedly begged hotel staff to聽 and claim that resorts pushed聽 over the speedy provision of medical care.

All-inclusive hotels 鈥渟end a message of 鈥榶ou鈥檙e cut off from the realities of the world,鈥� which includes safety or risk concerns,鈥� says Lauren Duffy, an associate professor at Clemson University in South Carolina who studies tourism and development.

Guests who stay in D.R. resorts say waitstaff or front-desk agents tell them they鈥檙e secure in the resort but that it鈥檚 not safe to leave. 鈥淚t creates this safe-not-safe dynamic between the inside and outside, so [visitors] let their guard down when they go to places like this,鈥� says Dr. Duffy.聽

Tatiana Fernandez/AP

Francisco Javier Garc铆a, Tourism Minister of the Dominican Republic, holds a copy of an online article in a local paper that cites the U.S. State Department suggesting recent reporting on the deaths of U.S. tourists were exaggerated, at the Ministry of Tourism office in Santo Domingo on June 21, 2019.

'We depend on tourism'聽

Of course, the reality is less black-and-white. But the Dominican economy is so dependent on the tourism industry that big hotel chains are accused of flouting existing regulations and resisting calls for tighter controls over how they operate. When police are called by resorts to deal with crimes or suspicious deaths, they often respond quickly but their investigations are bound by the limitations of the D.R.鈥檚 criminal justice system.聽

For many Dominicans, the attention foreign tourists receive 鈥� like quick police investigations and a dedicated unit for tourist zones 鈥� is simply on a different level than their daily realities.

鈥淚f anything happens [to a tourist] they are taken care of immediately,鈥� says Jos茅 An铆bal Pe帽a, who runs a factory making tropical clothes for gift shops in Punta Cana and La Romana.聽

He鈥檚 not upset by these efforts to protect tourists 鈥� 鈥渨e depend on tourism,鈥� he says. Some 300,000 Dominicans work in the industry.

Reliable data on crime rates in the D.R. is hard to come by. Dominicans have taken to the streets in past years to protest government corruption, but not specifically against police or the courts, says Carlos Pimentel, who runs a pro-democracy NGO, Participaci贸n Ciudadana. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a general lack of citizen confidence in the justice system and police,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he justice system isn鈥檛 the same for everyone here, like the Constitution says it should be.鈥�

A role for the FBI聽

For the family members of Americans who have died at resorts over the past year, the government is taking steps to deal with the crisis and douse the public relations fires. The FBI is working alongside Dominican officials to do additional toxin screenings in three cases, including of a couple who died together in their hotel room due to respiratory failure. The tourism ministry said recently it鈥檚 working with the National Hotel Association to improve the safety and quality of food and beverages served to visitors.

Dr. Duffy is concerned the government is putting too much emphasis on resolving a public relations crisis, not seeking to overhaul its regulation of the tourism sector. However, Mr. Pimentel sees the spotlight on American fatalities as a wake-up call.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think these realities should be hidden,鈥� he says, referring to impunity, government corruption, and crime. 鈥淚 think that [an unequal focus on foreign tourists] should serve as an incentive for the Dominican state to undertake the big transformations we need to provide true security to Dominicans, not just those who visit us,鈥� he says.

Jorge Ulloa, sitting in a plaza in the colonial zone of Santo Domingo on a recent afternoon, isn鈥檛 so sure. He reckons the outcry over tourist deaths will soon blow over, and the Dominican Republic will revert to being just another tourist destination in the eyes of the world, a point he recently made on his Facebook page.

鈥淭he product (tourists seek here) isn鈥檛 the country, but a service infrastructure based on the natural attractiveness of the coast,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淲hat is sold is an abstract Caribbean that鈥檚 indistinguishable to the consumer. The average tourist comes here and it doesn鈥檛 matter if it鈥檚 Aruba, Puerto Rico, or the Dominican Republic.鈥�