The Dominican Republic appears to have a high-profile public figure in its corner.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, one of the world’s most recognizable personalities and politicians, was in the DR recently for some golf time and came away with glowing remarks.

“I’ve never been here before, so I’m very excited about being at this course. I’ve played a couple of other courses in other places (in the DR). It’s beautiful, and I think the Dominican Republic is well on its way to full recovery from the little hiccup we had over the tourism.”

Clinton, of course, was referring to media tales last year about a series of hotel deaths, which authorities later said were merely coincidences. Still, the headlines caused some damage. Which is why DR tourism folks have to be thrilled with the former president’s comments.

“This is a great place – and everybody should come here and see it,” Clinton told reporters this week. ““It’s a wonderful place for golfing. There are different kinds of courses.

“Most people that have never been here have no idea how much diversity there is in the geography of the place. And there are also lots of wonderful companies that have invested here and built some magnificent golf courses, so if you like golfing, it’s a great place to be. But if you’d just like to go to a beautiful place for other reasons, it’s a great place to be.”

Asked if he feels safe in the Dominican Republic, Clinton nodded his head.

“Oh gosh, yes – always. Always – because I think the country’s well run and the people involved in the tourism industry do a good job. I’m never worried about it. I came pretty early after the first controversy started, and I was confident, once the medical tests were done they would justify the ranking. There are 58 countries in the world which are less safe for American tourists than the Dominican Republic – and that’s what the tests show, so people should come here and have a good time.”