Travel agents reassure Dominican Republic tourists.

Recent bad headlines — a spate of tourist deaths, including two Lehigh Valley women, plus the shooting of retired Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz — don’t seem to have dissuaded locals from vacationing in the Dominican Republic, area travel agents say.

“No clients have called to cancel,” said Luz Rubiera, owner of Lucy Travel in Allentown and a Dominican native.

“My niece is going to go to a resort, and she was afraid,” Rubiera said. “I said, ‘Don’t worry about it. You are not going to be by yourself … and you’re going to be safe.’”

The Caribbean nation hosted 6.6 million visitors in 2018, about half of whom came from North America, according to its tourism ministry.

In general, travel agents say, people who travel to tourist destinations such as the Dominican Republic will encounter few or no problems if they follow appropriate precautions.

“The way the world is now, the decision to travel is a very personal one,” said Sally McCorrison, travel director for AAA East Central. “We do want people to stay informed, but it is ultimately their choice.”

McCorrison, who said she also hasn’t seen any change in bookings to the Dominican Republic, recommends travelers check the State Department’s travel website to learn more about their destinations and enroll in the department’s free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. It enables travelers to receive alerts and be located by American authorities in an emergency.

McCorrison said a customer’s son lost his passport in Italy. By having registered with the American Embassy in Rome, he was able to replace the document “within an hour,” she said.

In its latest advisory, the State Department urges tourists to exercise increased caution in the Dominican Republic, rating it Level 2 of four levels ranging from travel with normal caution to avoid traveling.

Other tips include:

Never travel alone if you are visiting a country as a tourist.

Follow the tour operator’s advice if you’ve booked a trip with a company.

Be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Do not wear expensive jewelry.

The Dominican Republic has been rocked by several tourist deaths, including two locally.

A popular yoga instructor from Slatington died at a Dominican beach this week after she was caught in a rip current and swept away. Surely Miller, 40, had gone missing Tuesday from a beach in Cabarete in the province of Puerto Plata on the northern coast.

Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, a psychotherapist from Whitehall Township, suffered a heart attack May 25 and died at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville, on the southern coast, according to Dominican officials. A family spokesman said she collapsed after getting a drink from the minibar.

Days later, at the same resort but a different hotel, a Maryland couple was found dead. Officials said Edward Nathaniel Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Ann Day, 49, appeared to have suffered respiratory failure and fluid in the lungs.

Their deaths are still under investigation, while officials continue to investigate Ortiz’s shooting Sunday night outside a bar in the capital city Santo Domingo. Ortiz’s wife, Tiffany, has said her husband, a Dominican native, is recuperating at a Boston hospital.

Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone can be reached at 610-820-6694 or asalamone@mcall.com.