Punta Cana. The Dominican Republic accepted the challenge of being the host country of the 2024 edition of the Global Implementation Support Symposium of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an event that will take place in Punta Cana and will bring together delegates from more than than 100 States from all regions of the world.
The decision was announced by the interim director general of the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC), Héctor Porcella, when delivering the formal acceptance speech of the venue proposal submitted by the main ICAO authorities, headed by its secretary general Juan Carlos Salazar, during the second day of the symposium held in Seoul, South Korea.
Porcella, who heads the Dominican delegation in Korea, anticipated a cordial welcome, on behalf of President Luis Abinader and the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, to the ICAO delegations that will meet in Punta Cana in April 2024 .
The head of IDAC recalled that the Dominican Republic was recognized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and by other international organizations as the number 1 country in the recovery of tourism and civil aviation after the passage of the COVID-19 pandemic. .
Pointing out that the Dominican Republic has worked very hard to recover tourism and air traffic, Porcella highlighted that in the past year 2022 his country set a national record by receiving more than 7.5 million tourists, projecting that in the course of 2023 it will open the doors more than 9 million visitors.
Porcella reviewed the conditions offered by the Caribbean country as one of the main enclaves of tourism and civil aviation in Latin America, citing that it currently has 8 international airports and 7 national airline operators, connecting more than 69 countries and more than 300 cities with 150 international airlines.
“It is a destination where you can find beautiful beaches, exceptional ecotourism and a wide range of tourist attractions, from the first capital and other notable firsts of the American continent, to delicious cuisine, the happiest music in the world and a wide range of of attractions typical of our region”, pointed out Porcella.
The Dominican representation in Korea is made up of Héctor Porcella, director of IDAC; José Marte Piantini, president of the Civil Aviation Board; Julio Peña, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to ICAO, Antonio Yapor Alba, member of the Civil Aviation Board and Alternate Ambassador to ICAO; and Clara Fernández, director of the Superior Academy of Aeronautical Sciences and representatives of other technical areas of the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation.