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US tourists vanish in Dominican Republic between hotel and airport

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American tourists, Orlando Moore, 43, and Portia Ravenelle, 32, were set to return to their Mount Vernon, New York, home on March 27, at the end of a vacation in the Dominican Republic, but the couple never made it to the airport after checking out of their hotel.

The couple was reported missing after they vanished more than 2 weeks ago after checking out of their hotel room after a 4-day getaway to the northern beach area of Samana.

The couple’s families have not heard from them for over 13 days. Their phones are off, their car is still parked at Newark International Airport, and authorities said there is no record of them entering the US. Family members have filed a police report.

Moore’s brother, Lashay Turner, said they had a rental car during their time in the Dominican Republic, but there is no sign of the vehicle. “We’ve been calling DR and they said they didn’t make their flight,” he said. “We also spoke to someone in US Customs, and they said my brother did not make his flight back here.”

“I’m scared. I don’t know what’s going on,” Turner said. “I’m saddened, my family is saddened by this and we just want my brother to return safe and alive.”

It is unclear which airport the pair were due to fly home from and how far it was from their hotel. There is an airport in Samana that offers mostly seasonal flights to the island, mainly from Europe. The next closest airport in the area is the Cibao International Airport in Santiago, which offers daily flights to and from the US.

The State Department’s travel advisory issued on February 12, 2019 for the Dominican Republic advised tourists to exercise increased caution due to crime.

A picture believed to be the latest of the pair posted to social media shows them riding horses together.

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Travel Trends Index: International and domestic travel growth projected to dwindle

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Travel to and within the U.S. grew 3.2% year-over-year in February, according to the U.S. Travel Association’s latest Travel Trends Index (TTI).

However, the predictive Leading Travel Index (LTI) continues to project a slowdown in both international and domestic travel growth, as both segments could continue to feel the effects of rising trade tensions, volatile financial markets and weakening business and consumer confidence. These factors have the potential to stunt travel growth and dull American competitiveness at a time when the U.S. is seeking to reverse its declining share of the global international travel market.

Though international inbound travel grew for the ninth consecutive month, the segment grew only 1.4% in February. Domestic travel increased 2.8% year-over-year in February, with growth in both the business and leisure travel segments. Domestic business travel outpaced the leisure segment for the first time since October 2018, registering slightly above its six-month moving average with a 3.0% growth. Leisure growth fell slightly below its six-month moving average with a more tepid 2.6% growth rate.

Looking ahead, domestic and international inbound travel are both projected to grow, but at a moderate pace.

Said U.S. Travel Senior Vice President for Research David Huether: “Growth is expected to decelerate in the case of domestic travel while international inbound travel is projected to remain soft. This is consistent with an expectation of stable-yet-moderating economic growth both in the U.S. and globally.”

U.S. Travel economists caution that this decelerated growth rate will make it even more difficult for the U.S. to regain its diminishing share of the global international travel market. Acting on certain legislative initiatives—such as Brand USA’s long-term reauthorization and the rebranding and expansion of the Visa Waiver Program—can help the U.S. increase competitiveness in the global travel market.

The TTI is prepared for U.S. Travel by the research firm Oxford Economics. The TTI is based on public and private sector source data which are subject to revision by the source agency. The TTI draws from: advance search and bookings data from ADARA and nSight; airline bookings data from the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC); IATA, OAG and other tabulations of international inbound travel to the U.S.; and hotel room demand data from STR.

Click here to read the full report.

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US Advisory for Democratic Republic of Congo: Reconsider travel

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The US Department of State has issued a travel advisory for the Democratic Republic of Congo advising that travel be reconsidered due to crime and civil unrest. Some areas have increased risk.

The Travel Advisory recommends:

Do not travel to –

  • North Kivu and Ituri provinces due to Ebola.
  • Eastern DRC and the three Kasai provinces due to armed conflict.

Violent crime, such as armed robbery, armed home invasion, and assault, while rare compared to petty crime, is not uncommon, and local police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious crime. Be aware that assailants may pose as police or security agents.

Many cities throughout the country experience demonstrations, some of which have turned violent.  Police authorities have at times responded with heavy-handed tactics that have resulted in civilian casualties and arrests.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens outside of Kinshasa due to extremely limited infrastructure and poor security conditions.

Read the Safety and Security section on the Country Information Page.

If you decide to travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

North Kivu and Ituri Provinces

Sporadic but severe outbreaks of violence targeting civilians, including killing, rape, kidnapping, and pillaging, continue throughout North Kivu, South Kivu, Tanganyika, Haut Lomami, Ituri, Bas-Uele, and Haut-Uele provinces.

A significant number of both confirmed and probable cases of Ebola have been reported in nine health zones of Congo’s North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in North Kivu and Ituri provinces as U.S. government travel to these areas is restricted.

Visit the government website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.

The Eastern DRC Region and the Three Kasai Provinces

Parts of eastern DRC and the provinces of Kasai Oriental, Kasai Central, and Kasai Occidental are unstable due to armed group activity and military operations.  Major outbreaks of violence include the targeting of civilians in these areas.

The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in eastern DRC region and the three Kasais provinces as U.S. government travel to these regions is restricted.

Visit the government website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.

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Tunisia reaches out to UNWTO to get travel advisories removed

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The U.S. State Department putting Tunisia  as a category 2 risk for U.S. citizens to travel to. This is on the same level as Germany or the Bahamas, but not as severe as a category 3 warning against Turkey. The U.S. State Department wants citizens to exercise increase caution in Tunisia due to terrorism and lists regions where one shouldn’t go.

Tourism is a major revenue source for Tunisia, and the country has been working hard to overcome a number of deadly terror attacks where tourists were the target.

Currently the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili  is in Tunisia meeting with the Head of the Tunisian Government Youssef Chahed. He told UNWTO the country had made a lot of efforts have been made to improve security for both citizens and visitors through effective deployment of effective security and counter terrorism measures.

On his part, Pololikashvili commended the country for taking steps to ensure that tourism development and growth remained a priority and continues to play a pivotal role in the economy of Tunisia.

He mentioned that Tunisia was one of the first countries in the Mediterranean basin to identify the strategic value of tourism development. Tunisia, he said has been able to adapt to different challenges and also seized the opportunity of air connectivity and visa openness in recent years. UNWTO encourages Tunisia to its high visibility in the tourism sector, always against the backdrop of sustainable operations for the benefit of the local population and lasting opportunities emerging from tourism.

This, the UNWTO Boss states is particularly true for tourism as a resilient sector as Tunisia itself is experiencing: international tourist arrivals grew above 23% in 2017. Pololikashvili averred that the UNWTO is committed to supporting sustainable tourism development in Tunisia.

The UNWTO Secretary General is on a two day working visit to the country and being accompanied by Zhu Shanzhong , UNWTO’s Executive Director and Director of Africa Department Ms Elcia Grandcourt.

Tunisia is concerned about travel advisories remaining in Japan and the United States.

UNWTO has little influence on travel advisories by the countries most important to Tunisia in Tourism. The UNWTO chief met with local media in Tunisia, but an international global press support was not part of the agenda. Tunisia urgently needs global outreach and positive media support.

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