Will Cuba opening its doors to USA affect DR tourism ?

[drstock]

I guess there are people who think the funding, design and development, and construction of new resorts with infrastructure is something that happens in a year or two. Realistically allow 5 years for the start of new developments opening at best and 10 to 15 for the new resorts to mature into destinations. Funding became a huge issue since 2008 and remains fraught with difficulties. Investors wants security of investment with all the 'i's' dotted and 't's' crossed. Look how long it took DR and Panama to take off and look at all the stalled hospitality projects lying half finished throughout the Caribbean still after 2008 with no buyers.

By then DR has 10 million tourist annually.

Cuba already has a well-established tourist infrastructure. Friends of mine from England regularly go to AI resorts there. The only difficulty will be having enough beds to go around.

 

[Bronxboy]

Where's Meyer Lansky when you need him?

 

[windeguy]

Where's Meyer Lansky when you need him?

Lansky's last years were spent quietly at his home in Miami Beach. He died of lung cancer on January 15, 1983, age 80, leaving behind a widow and three children.[11] On paper, Lansky was worth almost nothing. At the time, the FBI believed he left behind over $300 million in hidden bank accounts, but they never found any money.

 

[Bronxboy]

Lansky's last years were spent quietly at his home in Miami Beach. He died of lung cancer on January 15, 1983, age 80, leaving behind a widow and three children.[11] On paper, Lansky was worth almost nothing. At the time, the FBI believed he left behind over $300 million in hidden bank accounts, but they never found any money.

Being a mob enthusiast, I know practically almost everything about the Nosa Nostra. Who knows, maybe whatever is left of the "current Mafia", this can be an opportunity for them. hmmmmmmmmmmm NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There will never be a Lucky or Meyer. EVER!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chic]

i think it will...the only good thing is tourism is growing and d.r. will still see/get tourists and huge d.r. crowd from the states...a good bus, activity here....
me ill try the ferry...:bandit::bandit::bandit::bandit::bandit::bandit::bandit::bandit::bandit:

 

[chic]

and the nude volleyball games on the cuban beach....this will attract em

 

[Bronxboy]

Nosa Nostra.

oops Cosa like Dominicans say!!!!

 

[Xavier_Onassis]

Where's Meyer Lansky when you need him?

Meyer Lansky was a carpenter who made beds?

Nah, wrong Jew. That was Yeshua Ben Yacob, aka Jesus.

 

[Xavier_Onassis]

Being a mob enthusiast, I know practically almost everything about the Cosa Nostra. Who knows, maybe whatever is left of the "current Mafia", this can be an opportunity for them. hmmmmmmmmmmm NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There will never be a Lucky or Meyer. EVER!!!!!!!!!!

===================================================
I agree, the circumstances are different.
The old Cosa Nostra would have serious problems with the digital age. They would have to hire some Russians, and the Russians would take over.
That may be what actually happened.

 

[PICHARDO]

Cuba's impact on DR tourism? Small on the short to mid term.

By the time Cuba catches onto the DR in hotel rooms alone, the DR would had moved to another stage on the tourism sector.

There's no comparison to be made between the two for now.

The DR is already moving into the high scale tourism sector. That's why investors are now putting their money into high end hotels before prices hit the roof like elsewhere in the sector offered in the Caribbean.

Sadly, Dominicans will be shifted from the Capital's best areas and all around coastal residentials into the interior. It will be done via gentrification.

This can be seen in areas like Punta Cana. Where before 90% of properties were in the hands of Dominicans, now the levels keep dropping fast.

Tourists come and fall in love with the island. They return and invest. Many do.

Cuba will not face this for a loooooooong time.

 

[Xavier_Onassis]

Buying real estate and building fancy homes in a country that has taken over private property is the sort of thing that makes wealthy people wary and their lawyers even warier.

 

[Criss Colon]

DR is probably one of the better prepared for the Cuban competition. The DR isn't as dependent on the US market as some nearby islands (Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Jamaica; Cancun -not an island, but a major player in Caribbean tourism-, Aruba, and most of the other islands all depend on American tourists for well over 80% of their visitors, in many cases well over 90%). The has been competing with Cuba for the Canadian/Latin American/European markets and it has done very well.

The influx of American tourists might decrease for the DR (and across the Caribbean) as they head for Cuba instead, but they will displace many Canadian/Latin American/European tourists that vacation in Cuba. This displaced group is used to mainly European AI chains (the European AI chains in Cuba are the same players in the DR), and the DR is the best prepared to accommodate that group. DR has the hotel chains they know and trust, the flights connections to their airports (Punta Cana has the most flights to Europe of any Latin American airport and most major Canadian cities have direct flights too), the trained hotel staff that speaks their languages and/or knows the treatment they are used to, etc.

If we take Puerto Rico as an example. They overwhelmingly depend on American from the eastern seaboard. They hardly have flights to Europe, hotel chains are overwhelmingly American and mostly non-AI. Puerto Rican staff in most of their hotels probably understand English and that's it as far as non-native languages. There is no way PR can get ready in time for the Cuban competition, because once Americans start to head more towards Cuban than PR, they are going to have a hard time attracting the hoards of Europeans/Canadians/Latin Americans displaced from Cuba. Not many Russians, Germans, Italians, French are going to visit PR if there are no or too few direct flights when just across the Mona Passage thousands of Europeans from all over Europe arrive every single day in Punta Cana.

Jamaica faces a similar dilemma as PR, but at least Jamaica has the AI resorts even if only a few of the European chains. But they also face severe restrictions due to sparse flights to Europe/Latin America and their hotel workforce is overwhelmingly trained to cater to American quirks and nonsense which doesn't always rubs well with Europeans. Another negative for Jamaica is that its not a Latin country while DR is probably the closest thing to a Cuba without being in Cuba. While many people don't care where their resort is, a lot of people that travel to Cuba do so also because it is a Latin/Hispanic place with the vibe to go along with that. People that like to listen to Spanish/Latin American music by the pool might not get in their vacation mood listening to reggae or hip hop or whatever is not Latin.

Point is that DR is much better prepared than most of the Caribbean.

Cuba also needs to Americanize its hotel offerings. Americans are very picky and whiny people. Europeans take it as part of the experience when they have to eat in open air restaurants with the breeze soothing their skins, etc. That same scene is a nightmare for Americans, because most will not feel comfortable if there's no A/C, and the they will complain about the odd bug that flies through, get annoyed at the slower pace of things, and a very long whiny and annoying etc.

WRONG!!!!!

The USA sends 1.6 million tourists to DR per year, Canada a distant second with 645,000.
Good "SPIN" however!!!!

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[Criss Colon]

Many investors and companies have either lost their money or thrown in jail or both.

That would NEVER HAPPEN here in the DR!!!!

Wanna buy a lot in "Cap Cana" cheap????????

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[Criss Colon]

Also remember that the DR is just opening up a Carnival port on the north coast for cruise ships. Stops in Cuba and the Dominican Republic will make this route more attractive.

Don't know what you mean by "JUST OPENING"?????
Drove by the port twice over the weekend.
Doesn't look like "JUST" to me, UNLESS you mean a Dominican "JUST"!!!!
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[PICHARDO]

Crissy is a on run today!

LOL!!!

 

[Criss Colon]

Cuba's impact on DR tourism? Small on the short to mid term.

By the time Cuba catches onto the DR in hotel rooms alone, the DR would had moved to another stage on the tourism sector.

There's no comparison to be made between the two for now.

The DR is already moving into the high scale tourism sector. That's why investors are now putting their money into high end hotels before prices hit the roof like elsewhere in the sector offered in the Caribbean.

Sadly, Dominicans will be shifted from the Capital's best areas and all around coastal residentials into the interior. It will be done via gentrification.

This can be seen in areas like Punta Cana. Where before 90% of properties were in the hands of Dominicans, now the levels keep dropping fast.

Tourists come and fall in love with the island. They return and invest. Many do.

Cuba will not face this for a loooooooong time.

Can he actually be starting to believe his own "SPIN"???????

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I'm too old and fat to "RUN"!
How do you manage to keep "SPINNING"????

 

[lovemedo]

In the short term, yes. It virgin territory for a lot and curiosity will bring in a lot of Caribbean tourists. For the sex tourists, they will flock to the "new" destination with cheaper prices.

Yes!!!!
The gift amount for a chica will drop from 1300rd to a more reasonable gift of maybe 1000rd.
This is a major drop of 23%.... with great ecorotic consequences ensuing..... for the country ....as a whole !!!!

 

[keepcoming]

Of course it will be felt here in the Dominican Republic, for awhile. Cuba has been "taboo" for many years for many so there will be that initial onslaught of tourists. As another poster put it, coming to remember the years gone by (old cars, Tropicana nightclub, etc....) Eventually it will come down to which island has the better resorts.

 

[chic]

Cuba's impact on DR tourism? Small on the short to mid term.

By the time Cuba catches onto the DR in hotel rooms alone, the DR would had moved to another stage on the tourism sector.

There's no comparison to be made between the two for now.

The DR is already moving into the high scale tourism sector. That's why investors are now putting their money into high end hotels before prices hit the roof like elsewhere in the sector offered in the Caribbean.

Sadly, Dominicans will be shifted from the Capital's best areas and all around coastal residentials into the interior. It will be done via gentrification.

This can be seen in areas like Punta Cana. Where before 90% of properties were in the hands of Dominicans, now the levels keep dropping fast.

Tourists come and fall in love with the island. They return and invest. Many do.

Cuba will not face this for a loooooooong time.

ha ha ha d.r. is facing some tough eco issues....tough...ones crime is high drugs is high and you can get higher ...and there is no discount here...

 

[chic]

WRONG!!!!!

The USA sends 1.6 million tourists to DR per year, Canada a distant second with 645,000.
Good "SPIN" however!!!!

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yeah and figure the money... d.r is the most expensive taxed airport arrival... anywhere....just the taxes dwarf the mind...then the tourists fees....thats 20 mil us ...x's 45pd... or maybe its mexico