BERLIN- The German market has been very significant in maintaining high occupancy rates for the Dominican tourist industry. According to Frank Rainieri, president of the National Hotel & Restaurant Association, the German market should maintain its importance over the coming years.
The Association has contracted a public relations company, Contac & Creation, to counter the adverse press the country received as a consequence of the aviation accident where 189 persons died, most of them German tourists returning home. The crash was caused by pilot error. The aircraft was Turkish owned.
Mr Rainieri explained that some 20 flights a week are arriving from German cities, converting this Caribbean island, unknown ten years ago, into a second home for the Germans.
He told some 100 representatives from the press at the ITB trade show press conference that the D.R. does not have racial nor political problems because it is a friendly country and offers a wide range of hotels. He also stressed the involvement of German tour operators in the industry’s development.
Last year, some 988 charter flights from Germany landed in the Dominican Republic, being 10.5% of the total which numbered 9,339. The principal arrival points were Puerto Plata (490 flights) and Punta Cana (488 flights).