Frank Rainieri, who can be recognized as the promoter of the Punta Cana beach strip, told the Listín Diario that air arrivals using the Punta Cana International Airport were up 20% compared to last year. He said there are 16,000 hotel rooms in the eastern Macao-Punta Cana area, which makes it the largest single Caribbean destination. He said flights to Punta Cana have increased from 110 a week to 220, but there has not been an increase in occupancy because of the increase in hotel rooms in the area. He was interviewed in Miami, where he traveled to talk with Central American tourism investors that are interested in the Punta Cana tourism development model. He said in Punta Cana there are 3,000 more rooms than in 1998. He said that last year the average stay was 12 days, but this year it dropped to less than 10 days. He said that to maintain the same level of occupancy, there would have to be a 30% increase in travelers. The decline in the average stay comes with the increase in US travelers. American tourists usually come for a week, versus two weeks of the European travelers.
