An onslaught of sensationalized media reports continue to cast doubt over the Dominican Republic and whether it's a safe destination for travelers.
For the second time in as many weeks, TravelPulse founder and CEO Mark Murphy sat down with Fox Business to discuss the recent reports involving the deaths of American tourists in the Caribbean nation.
"The deaths of the couple raises questions. But we don't know until we get the toxicology. Did they take something that was laced with fentanyl? We have no idea and so right now it's all conjecture," he said. "Let the FBI and CDC come out and tell us what's actually happening."
Murphy reiterated that the number of reported deaths isn't unusual.
"Take for instance Thailand-which is a great and safe destination I've been to many times-they had 33 American tourist deaths last year. But we're not talking about Thailand are we?"
The travel expert also shared some advice for officials in the Dominican Republic. "I would say sit back, defer to the FBI, the CDC and the State Department, which has not changed its level of warning. With a Level 2 warning, the State Department is saying 'continue to go,'" he added.
"I like what the Hard Rock is doing because they're basically taking the suspicion out that somehow the minibar is killing people. That's a smart move having U.S.-based healthcare oversee what you're doing on property. That's great PR and proactive."
You can watch Murphy's latest appearance on Fox Business in its entirety below:
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