I just wanted to get the general feeling about something, ok today's DR1 news..
Now on seeing this, made me think about the last 10 months of everyone telling us that there's no problem in tourism, in fact many saying its rising and no problems.
DR1 Travel news last week......
March 10th
May 5th
Luckily I don't work in this particular sector, but still, its amazing what is let out in the press releases and what is held back. Are we to assume that they "just noticed" that occupancy has been down every month for the last 10 months? They only tell us when they have their first growth month. And in the months inbetween we are told how strong the sector is!!!
Another one I remember in February 2009, it was announced that property sales were down 50% 2007 to 2008. Now bearing in mind that started in 2008, that was roughly between 7 and 13 months in the making before the press release announced.....
I'm sure most residents here are aware the media is not as free as elsewhere in the world, however is it not better for business in general for us all to have a clear picture of what the situation is at any given time, and be able to brace business for it? Prepare and plan correctly?
Opinions people.....
4. Tourism up a tiny bit in May
Tourist arrivals to the Dominican Republic were 2.41% higher in May 2009 compared to the same month in 2008. This good news comes after ten consecutive months of lower numbers, according to data published by the Central Bank on their website. In May this year, 6,972 more tourists arrived here than in the same month in 2008. The volume of tourists was attributed to two main factors. The first was a slight increase in the arrival of non-resident Dominicans - 4,434 more visits this year than last, for a 1.03% increase. The second factor was the re-routing of many tourists from Mexico to the Dominican Republic as a result of the influenza scare. Many of the companies that send tourists to Mexico have operations in the DR. The non-resident foreigner segment accounted for 1.38% of the increase.
Now on seeing this, made me think about the last 10 months of everyone telling us that there's no problem in tourism, in fact many saying its rising and no problems.
DR1 Travel news last week......
No crisis in tourism sector, says Minister
Speaking at an American Chamber of Commerce luncheon last week, Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia stated that he did not believe that the present financial crisis would halt tourism investments in the DR. He expected that a large percentage of the US$16 billion in new investment projects the Ministry has approved would materialize.
March 10th
Tourism overview
The Ministry of Tourism reported that last year occupation averaged 70.6%, compared to 72.20% in 2007. Highest occupancy rates were in Punta Cana-Bavaro with 77.7%.
May 5th
12. Mexico bound tourists arrive
Thousands of tourists who had planned to vacation in Mexico have been arriving in the Dominican Republic, mainly in the Punta Cana area. In somewhat smaller quantities, tourists have also arrived in Puerto Plata. Tour operators serving both Mexico and the Dominican Republic have been re-routing hundreds of tourists, making the most of the similarities between the Maya Riviera and the Bavaro-Punta Cana region. The increase has meant that May will be a record-breaking month. There has been an estimated 40% increase in the number of tourists arriving in the eastern Dominican Republic.
Luckily I don't work in this particular sector, but still, its amazing what is let out in the press releases and what is held back. Are we to assume that they "just noticed" that occupancy has been down every month for the last 10 months? They only tell us when they have their first growth month. And in the months inbetween we are told how strong the sector is!!!
Another one I remember in February 2009, it was announced that property sales were down 50% 2007 to 2008. Now bearing in mind that started in 2008, that was roughly between 7 and 13 months in the making before the press release announced.....
I'm sure most residents here are aware the media is not as free as elsewhere in the world, however is it not better for business in general for us all to have a clear picture of what the situation is at any given time, and be able to brace business for it? Prepare and plan correctly?
Opinions people.....