ACTA Monitoring Situation in Dominican Republic Concerning Mysterious Tourist Deaths

In response to media coverage of mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths of 9 American tourists at beach resorts in the Dominican Republic during the past year, including 3 deaths this month, ACTA reached out to our government contacts for information to share with Canadian travelers.

The latest travel advisory is available at https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/dominican-republic and there is no specific advisory related to the events in question. The health tab is where advice on the government’s recommendations will be found but there is no update on the issue at this time.

Dominican Republic authorities announced yesterday that they have accepted assistance from the FBI to investigate the deaths. 

ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) issued guidance to their members and noted that the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory for the Dominican Republic does not reference the recent deaths. Their travel advisory is a Level 2, meaning travelers should “exercise increased caution”, the same level as the UK, France and other destinations popular with U.S. travelers.  ASTA reminded its members that ultimately it is the traveler who must decide whether to travel to any particular destination at any given time, ideally doing so in an informed manner and in accordance with their individual risk tolerance. 

Heather Craig-Peddle, Vice President, Advocacy and Member Relations says, “As new information becomes available, ACTA will keep you updated. For now, you can refer clients with questions about the Dominican Republic to the latest Canadian travel advisories and always talk to your clients about insurance for their travels.”