1,900 Ukrainians are also stranded.
According to a statement from his office, Tourism Minister David Collado has agreed with representatives of the country’s hotel chains to “guarantee the stay” of these people.
The Dominican government said 14,806 Russian tourists were staying mainly in the province of La Altagracia (East), where Punta Cana, one of the country’s most tourist destinations, is located.
“Agreement has been reached with the major Russian tour operators regarding the repatriation process and their repatriation in the next few days,” the government said.
According to an official survey, a total of 1,903 Ukrainian tourists have been registered in the Dominican Republic. “They will stay in their respective hotels till a solution is found for their return home,” the statement said.
Ukraine’s Honorary Consul Ilona Oleksandrivna said on Sunday that 3,000 Ukrainian tourists were stranded and added that 1,200 had been evacuated from their hotels. However, AFP did not find any evicted families in tourist areas. Mr. Oleksandrivna was due to meet with President Louis Abinedar on Wednesday afternoon.
“It has been agreed to conduct an operation in the hotels over the next 48 hours to verify the special needs of each family,” the press release said.
In retaliation for the Russian invasion, 27 EU countries have closed their airspace to Russian companies and aircraft. In response, Russia closed its airspace to carriers from 36 European countries and Canada “unless given special permission”.
The Dominican Republic, one of the few countries that never closed its border due to the COVID-19 pandemic, welcomed 183,700 Russian tourists and 85,912 Ukrainians in 2021, according to Central Bank data.
In January, 49,215 Russians and 13,749 Ukrainians entered the country.
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