US travel to the Dominican Republic was up from 2000 to 2002, according to a statistical analysis conducted by Roberto Despradel for El Caribe. The economist says that travel from North America ? the United States and Canada ? grew 16 percent, while travel from Europe was down 20 percent. German travel peaked in 2000 at 450,000 tourists, but declined to 240,000 in 2002. Likewise, the travel of Spaniards was down from 150,000 tourists in 2000 to 135,000. French travel, however, was up 39 percent to 240,000 and there are signs of recovery for the English market, as well, with UK tourists for 2002 numbering 146,000. The analysis does not take into account the reinforcement of the Euro, which could have a positive impact on travel, once the Iraq War scare subsides.
Regarding North America, Despradel points out that Central Bank statistics show that 710,000 US tourists visited last year, which is 16 percent more than in 2000. Punta Cana, in the East Coast, received the greatest increases in US travelers, as the beach strip is ?in? for the US traveler.
Statistics indicate that Canada is now the second most important travel market for the Dominican Republic, behind the US. In 2002, statistics show that 313,000 Canadians visited ? 28 percent more than in 2000.