Biggest tourist destination in DR . . .

There's this resort or town called 'the dominican'. Nobody here knows where it is but thousands of people claim that they've stayed in there and had a good time.

(it's a joke )

Although I can't give you any numbers, you might want to look into Punta Cana/Bavaro. There's a lot of construction going on and lots of people living there now. From what I've seen, almost any business can make quite a bit of money over there since there isn't a very big choice of anything yet. Look into it, you might get lucky...

Tourism info

Hi there, the information you are looking for is available. I am not sure how reliable, accurate or timely it is. There have been several posts and threads in this nature on this website. Do a search and see what you find. I will PM you a couple of things when I find them.

Also, what you are looking for will depend on what kind of business you want to set up. Here is what I mean:

In Punta Cana you get higher end tourists. They tend to spend more money on their holiday and the excursions tend to cost more. I don't know off hand how many excursions they buy on average! the competition for excursions is high. I'm not sure what kind of souvenirs they buy but I guarantee they cost more there then in other locations.

In the Puerto Plata / north shore, we get more of the averge tourists! They don't spend quite so much money on their packages and excursions don't target the higher end consumers. They tend to be a little less expensive as are the souvenirs etc.

While you may want to look at the numbers of tourists you need to also look at what you will offer, to who and why. Where do you fit in? What are you thinking of doing?

Going where there is more tourist money isn't necessarily the answer. Going where there is the most demand for what you offer might make more sense. Going where there is no or little competition might make more sense. Going where the future growth is might make more sense....

I hope that helped!

Hi SamGompers,

Greetings from Atlantic Canada.

SamGompers said:

Can somebody point me to information on the biggest tourist destinations in the DR? Specifically: number of visitors, nationality, etc.

I am thinking about starting a small business but can't seem to find good current info necessary to think about locations.

Personally, I like the North Coast . . .but I'll go where there's more tourist money.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

From DR1 Travel News January 13, 2004

Where the tourists are from (first 11 months of 2003)

"Central Bank statistics for the first 11 months of the year reaffirm the new prevalence of the US traveler, as well as significant increases in European travel to the Dominican Republic.
United States - 783,405 (31.5% market), up 23.2%
Canada - 363,149 (14.6% market), up 35.3%
France - 286,637 (11.5% market), up 32.9%
Germany - 222,454 (8.9% market), up 1.1%
Spain - 186,460 (7.5% market), up 51.5%
United Kingdom - 157,100 (6.3% market), up 16.5%
Italy - 121,392 (4.9% market), up 21.4%"



From DR1 Travel News May 18, 2004

Where in the DR the tourists are going.

"Punta Cana continues to lead in arrivals
Punta Cana continues to be the leading tourist destination in the Dominican Republic, with 47% of all air arrivals landing at that terminal. Next was Puerto Plata, which was port of entry for 24% of foreign air arrivals. Traffic to Puerto Plata was up 29% for the period. Las Americas (Santo Domingo) followed with 17%, and the Cibao (Santiago) and Herrera international in Santo Domingo made up for the remaining 2.1% arrivals.
For the January-April 2004 period, some 517,632 arrivals, mostly foreign tourists, arrived at the Punta Cana International Airport. Puerto Plata received 269,652 foreign passengers, Las Americas 192,253 and La Romana 101,559."

As planner said, depending on your idea(s) the raw numbers may not tell the whole tale; the demographics may be just as or more important.

I suggest you subscribe (it's free) to DR1 Travel News. Lots of good info.

FYI the archive is at www.dr1.com/travelnews/archive.shtml

Good luck in your endevour(s).

Gregg

Thanks Gregg

You just saved me the time of going looking for exactly that information Gregg!!!

Samana Peninsula

You might also check out the Samana Peninsula - if you have long range plans. The Europeans are building a first rate destination here- recreating St. Tropez, as I understand it, - only two small A-1 resorts, but many high-end shops in town, and many more for sale within walking distance from the beach. However, in order to do business here, it would seem essential that you have at least English, Spanish and French.

annie

SamGompers said:

Can somebody point me to information on the biggest tourist destinations in the DR? Specifically: number of visitors, nationality, etc.

I am thinking about starting a small business but can't seem to find good current info necessary to think about locations.

Personally, I like the North Coast . . .but I'll go where there's more tourist money.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

I live in puerto plata and i must say i think the jeep safaris are wuiote popular but if i were opening a business i would build an internet cafe for tourists, maybe even look into opening a tim hortons franchise, i always hear tourists saying how much theyd kill for a tim hortons coffee... In the playa dorada plaza they have an internet place and its 1.50 american for a half hour and people pay that and more, sometimes go on for hours at a time. I think its a good business.

Hi, I am not sure I agree with you about internet cafes.
I dont have the numbers to back up my opinion, but if you look into the Plaza in Playa Dordada, 1) they have raised their prices 2) They have lowered the number of computers 3) Half of their space is rented out to tatoos and Cds etc.
That to me does not sound like the internet part is sparkling.
Many of the hotels also offers internetservice to their clients on the properties. I have not been at all the hotels, I know Gran Ventana does. Yesterday I was at Hilton visiting friends, they had a bunch of laptops online for any guest to use in the entrance area..

In the city of Puerto Plata there are several internet cafes. Caribe Tours Plaza, Compuclub, Dotcom, Farmacia Virgina etc etc. They all charge 20-30 pesos per 30 min. A rrint copy is around 5-8, to burn a cd is around 30-50 and if you bring your own cd its around 10 pesos. You need alots of guests to make a good business out of this moneywise!

carina said:

Yesterday I was at Hilton visiting friends, they had a bunch of laptops online for any guest to use in the entrance

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Where is there a Hilton? Do you mean the "Coral" AI properties? I know they are building a Hilton on the Malecon, but I didn't think it was opened?

rellosk said:

Where is there a Hilton? Do you mean the "Coral" AI properties? I know they are building a Hilton on the Malecon, but I didn't think it was opened?

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Hilton bought the Coral Hotels company a while ago. Every former Coral resort property is now operated by Hilton.

In fact, it's not really under the main Hilton, but under a new subsidiary which Hilton named Coral by Hilton. This is Hilton's successful attempt to enter into the AI market. The Hilton Santo Domingo set to open this Spring in Malecon Center is under the big umbrella of Hilton Hotels.

Also, Wyndham bought Viva Resorts and now all former Viva resorts are under the subsidiary of Wyndham Viva Resorts. (I think that's how they are named).

As a side note, The Westin Hotel company (its under the umbrella of Starwoods Hotels and Resorts, they also are responsible for the Sheratons, St. Regis, W Hotels, and Westins around the world). Anyways, Westin is building a mega luxurious resort in Punta Cana. It will also be a non-AI.

Alta Bella Resorts has the rights to open around 5 mega luxurious non-AI resorts within the Cap-Cana complex in Punta Cana.

All of this is evidence of the subtle, but noticeable shift the Dominican tourist market is experiencing at the moment. It seems that the AI industry is slowly being replaced by non-AI resorts, though AI resorts are still being built and proposed for all existing and currently non existing tourist destinations across the country.

Nal0whs said:

Hilton bought the Coral Hotels company a while ago. Every former Coral resort property is now operated by Hilton.

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I knew about Hilton buying the Coral properties. I thought carina was referring to a real Hilton. I made the mistake of staying at the Canoa Coral by Hilton last summer. I was hoping it would be up to the Hilton standards. It wasn't, it was awful even by AI standard.

Glad to hear Starwoods is getting back in the DR. I used to stay at the Sheraton before it was sold. You're right, it seems like a lot of non-AI are opening up. I think Marriott recently opened a Courtyard and another chain opened up something near the Las Americas airport.

Nal0whs,

It is my understanding that in both of the instances cited by you (Hilton/Coral and Viva/Wyndham) they were not outright purchases but strategic alliances designed to be of mutual benefit.

www.vivaresorts.com/wyndham_news.html

www.caribbeanhotels.org/DOCSpublic/Archives/chadvance010103.htm

While there are a couple of non-AI properties being built in AI areas (the Casa Colonial in Playa Dorada is the only one which actually comes to mind) AI's continue marching on with two Viva/Wyndhams opened recently (one in Playa Dorada and one in Samana) and a number of new AI properties in the Bavaro/Punta Cana area (3 Bahia Principes, Sunscape the Beach, Ocean
Blue and Ocean Sand Hotels and The Club at Gran Paradise Bavaro of Ahmsa Marina).

Also, according to ASONAHORES the Santo Domingo Hiilton Project is part of the Coral/Hilton strategic alliance.

www.caribbeanhotels.org/caribbeanmarketplace/Press Room/Asonahores1.pdf

Just info to which I happen to have access.

Gregg

FireGuy said:

Nal0whs,

It is my understanding that in both of the instances cited by you (Hilton/Coral and Viva/Wyndham) they were not outright purchases but strategic alliances designed to be of mutual benefit.

www.vivaresorts.com/wyndham_news.html

www.caribbeanhotels.org/DOCSpublic/Archives/chadvance010103.htm

While there are a couple of non-AI properties being built in AI areas (the Casa Colonial in Playa Dorada is the only one which actually comes to mind) AI's continue marching on with two Viva/Wyndhams opened recently (one in Playa Dorada and one in Samana) and a number of new AI properties in the Bavaro/Punta Cana area (3 Bahia Principes, Sunscape the Beach, Ocean
Blue and Ocean Sand Hotels and The Club at Gran Paradise Bavaro of Ahmsa Marina).

Also, according to ASONAHORES the Santo Domingo Hiilton Project is part of the Coral/Hilton strategic alliance.

www.caribbeanhotels.org/caribbeanmarketplace/Press Room/Asonahores1.pdf

Just info to which I happen to have access.

Gregg

Click to expand...

That's how most of these deals are made. Otherwise, there is no reason for why Hilton or Wyndham or any company would maintain the former company's name (ie. Coral or Viva, etc)

All Hilton Hotels, Wyndham Hotels, etc are independently operated around the world. This is how franchises function, but its similar to a buy out.

The difference is that the former company "partners" up with a much more widely recognized company (such as Hilton), but its all still operates as a Franchise under the Hilton umbrella in the Coral by Hilton case.

And yes, Hilton Santo Domingo is under the Coral group as well (which under the alliance the Coral group operates as independently owned franchises, just like all other Hilton's around the world). However, the Hilton Santo Domingo (though operated by the Coral group) is a much more formal franchise venture, thus the omission of the Coral name in Hilton Santo Domingo.

In other more compact words: Coral Hotels practically agreed to become the independent owner of the Hilton Hotels in the Dominican Republic. Any Hilton Hotels are franchised from the Hilton Parent company and as such, must obide by Hilton rules and regulation to all its franchisees including the Coral group.

This also applies for Wyndham and other foreign own franchises.

Thanks for those interesting links.

Regards,
Nal0whs

rellosk said:

I knew about Hilton buying the Coral properties. I thought carina was referring to a real Hilton. I made the mistake of staying at the Canoa Coral by Hilton last summer. I was hoping it would be up to the Hilton standards. It wasn't, it was awful even by AI standard.

Glad to hear Starwoods is getting back in the DR. I used to stay at the Sheraton before it was sold. You're right, it seems like a lot of non-AI are opening up. I think Marriott recently opened a Courtyard and another chain opened up something near the Las Americas airport.

Click to expand...

As far as I know, once the (please, people don't make a debate about the following) Novo Mundo 21 project goes ahead (or the island project off the Malecon), Santo Domingo is marked to become a non-AI resort area along the current malecon area and the new malecon which will be on the island facing the Caribbean sea.

The project includes the cleaning of the water between the current malecon and the Island and the creation of a beach along the current malecon.

In addition to this, outside of Santo Domingo we can only expect more non-AI's to open at much higher frequencies than before due to the new interest of the world's Jet Set in vacationing here and the general interest the non-AI traditional companies are seeing from the gigantic tourist industry we have, by Caribbean and maybe even global standards.

That's not to say the AI's are poised for extinction, but that the AI industry will rub elbows with non-AI's. I think its good for the country's image. Many people have "cursed" the DR because of their horrible experience at an AI (especially when it comes to the food, the number one complaint). If people also have other non-AI options, the image of the country might not be tarnished based on a peson's experience at an AI resort, instead the AI resort's image will be tarnished as it should be.

Just for the record, when I was commenting on the suggestion that an internetcafe would be a great biz for tourists, I was referring to Coral Marien by Hilton in Costa Dordada,POP.

Hi carina, i dont think you understood what i was saying, the internet place in the plaza is expensive so i would start one with lower prices and more computers is what my point was on why it would be a good business, it would be stiff competition for the one already there.I personally check my email in the city as well for 15 pesos an hour but tourists want a place handy and cheap so the plaza would be a good spot to open one.The ones in the hotels themseoves have few computers and also overcharge.

carina said:

Hi, I am not sure I agree with you about internet cafes.
I dont have the numbers to back up my opinion, but if you look into the Plaza in Playa Dordada, 1) they have raised their prices 2) They have lowered the number of computers 3) Half of their space is rented out to tatoos and Cds etc.
That to me does not sound like the internet part is sparkling.
Many of the hotels also offers internetservice to their clients on the properties. I have not been at all the hotels, I know Gran Ventana does. Yesterday I was at Hilton visiting friends, they had a bunch of laptops online for any guest to use in the entrance area..

In the city of Puerto Plata there are several internet cafes. Caribe Tours Plaza, Compuclub, Dotcom, Farmacia Virgina etc etc. They all charge 20-30 pesos per 30 min. A rrint copy is around 5-8, to burn a cd is around 30-50 and if you bring your own cd its around 10 pesos. You need alots of guests to make a good business out of this moneywise!

Click to expand...

Hi, yes I understood you. My point was that if the one already existing needs to cut down on computers, and find other business aside, it shows that it maybe isnt such a good business with only internet. The rent in the Plaza is super high, so my guess is it simply doesnt work. You need to sell more 30 min then there is in a day, and still not getting in the money you need...And to invest in more computers on top of that, maintain etc will not give much more in the end.
The hotels are slowly changing, as for Coral Marien for example, it is free. That I mentioned, as a point to why it in my opinion would not be such a great idea to try and open yet another internet center.