DR1 Travel News - 16 January 2018

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Sea arrivals double in 2017
4% increase in air arrivals in 2017
Direct flight between Brasilia and Punta Cana
Master of the Ocean: 27 February 2018




Sea arrivals double in 2017
Cruise ship arrivals to the Dominican Republic were up 37% in 2017 compared to 2016. Dominican cruise ship ports received a boost in the months of November and December when cruise lines chose these for stops that would have been made at ports that were damaged during the September hurricanes Irma and Maria, including St. Maarten, Turks & Caicos, among others. The new arrivals almost doubled the programmed arrivals for these ports.

The Ministry of Tourism reported that 1,546,444 visitors arrived by sea in 2017, up 37.45% compared to the same period in 2016.

The Amber Cove terminal in Puerto Plata on the north coast is now the leading cruise ship port in the country, surpassing the Casa de Campo Port in La Romana on the southeast coast. Amber Cove saw a 40.15% increase in passengers in 2017, for a total of 659,622 arrivals. The Casa de Campo Port in La Romana, that up to the first quarter of 2017, had been the leading port in numbers of cruise ship arrivals, showed a 17.91% increase in arrivals, for 562,652 visitors this 2017.

Ministry of Tourism statistics showed that 29 ships touched port at Amber Cove in December, 49.5% more than in 2016, when there were 20 ships docking at the port. The Carnival Cruise port received the most additional port stops this winter cruise season.

There were also record numbers in arrivals to the ports of Samaná on the northeast with 87,803 arrivals and Cap Cana on the east, with 47,364 arrivals in its first year, including crews. The city of Santo Domingo, on the south central coast, is the third most important port in number of arrivals with a record 189,003 arrivals this year, for a 75.34% increase over arrivals in 2016 that were 107,063.

Cruise ship lines from Pullmantur, Norwegian, Carnival, Royal Princess, Costa Pacifica among others docked at the Dominican ports.

The Ministry of Tourism also reported 6,187,542 non-resident air arrivals in 2017, a 4% increase over the 5,959,347 tourist arrivals in 2016. This brings the overall total to almost 8 million tourist arrivals in 2017.

http://mitur.gob.do/republica-dominicana-supera-el-millon-y-medio-de-cruceristas-en-2017/


4% increase in air arrivals in 2017
The Dominican Republic experienced a record year of tourism with 6,187,542 non-resident air arrivals in 2017, that translates into a 4% increase over the 5,959,347 non-resident arrivals in 2016, according to statistics kept by the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic.

The peak months for non-resident arrivals were July with 637,663 arrivals and December with 626,755. May was the slowest month for tourism with 472,888 arrivals by air.

Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) lead in air arrivals with 3,643,488 (59%), followed by Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo (SDQ) with 1,348,014 arrivals (22%), Santiago’s Cibao International Airport (STI) with 548,081 arrivals (9%), Gregorio Luperón International Airport in Puerto Plata (POP) with 472,705 arrivals (7.6%), and El Catey International Airport (AZS) in Samaná with 69,366 (1%).

The Ministry of Tourism has also reported that 1,546,444 visitors arrived by sea in 2017, up 37.45% compared to the same period in 2016. This makes for a total of almost 8 million tourist arrivals in 2017.

https://www.bancentral.gov.do/estadisticas_economicas/turismo/


Direct flight between Brasilia and Punta Cana
There is a direct flight connection from Brasilia (BSB) to Punta Cana (PUJ) on Saturdays and Sundays. The Latam Airlines flight JJ8104 began this January 2018. The airline is using an Airbus 319 for the flight with capacity for 144 passengers and five crew.

Latam is the largest airline in Latin America, with 164 destinations served worldwide.
http://mitur.gob.do/aerolinea-latam-establece-nueva-ruta-hacia-republica-dominicana/


Master of the Ocean: 27 February 2018
The 15th Master of the Ocean is set for Tuesday, 27 February 2018, in Cabarete, Puerto Plata. Cabarete is the host destination for the only regional water sports competition that brings together the top competitors in surf boarding, wind and kite surfing and stand up paddle. The champion will win the Master of the Ocean title.

The promoters highlight how the Master of the Ocean is the world's most complete championship for true water sports athletes, where competitors have to showcase their skills and battle over wind and waves in the four disciplines.

In 2018 the event is being held on Dominican Independence Day.

http://www.masteroftheocean.com/