After a successful trip to the Dominican Republic, travel expert Mark Murphy is back on the mic to share his latest experiences as well as those of others on the ground amid polarizing news coverage in a brand new episode of the TravelPulse Podcast.
"People are afraid to go there, and it's a shame because there's nothing to be afraid of folks. Last year, 3 million people went to the Dominican Republic. There were 13 Americans who died there," the TravelPulse founder and CEO said.
Murphy runs through some of the latest media reports, pointing out the lack of details in some cases and the fact that many of the deceased tourists making headlines suffered from serious medical conditions prior to arriving in the Dominican Republic.
"If they don't have travel insurance while they're there, they might hesitate to take action when they're not feeling well. They say 'I'll get over it' or 'I'll feel better in the morning,' and then they feel a lot worse and maybe they've gone too far," he added. "At the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, they have two full-time doctors that live on the property, 24-hour access to medical care, nurses and a paramedic and ambulance. They also have a relationship with a private hospital."
"You get to be a priority as a tourist because in the Dominican Republic it's all about tourism."
During his stay in Punta Cana, Murphy spoke with hotel officials, including doctors, as well as vacationers to find out what if anything is really going on in the Dominican Republic. "When you hear the actual folks there talking about this, you're going to have a very different perspective," he said, referring to interviews that will be published on TravelPulse later this month.
Listen to episode 46 of "TravelPulse: The Intersection of Travel-Where Politics, Finance, and Travel Meet" in its entirety below:
Be sure to subscribe to the TravelPulse Podcast at Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify and Stitcher. Don't forget to submit a review for a chance to win some awesome prizes.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
