Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier Garcia forecasts that travel to the Dominican Republic will set a new record in 2014. He told Diario Libre that travel in 2013 ended with a 3% increase compared to 2012. He said this is the fifth consecutive year of growth in the travel sector. According to the minister, in the past two years the country has posted numbers that are higher than the global and regional average. Garcia said the 3% is a great achievement taking into account difficulties with strong snowstorms that have affected the main source market, the United States. He said the country has suffered the effects of the large number of flight suspensions. This past week more than 30 flights have been suspended due to the recent snowstorms.
Garcia said that the start of operation of the Maimon cruiseship terminal, Amber Cove in Puerto Plata is also expected to have a positive effect on visitors. He says that around 600,000 travelers are expected to visit in the first year of the new port operations. The terminal is being built by Carnival Cruise company.
The minister said that the new highways connecting Santo Domingo with Punta Cana would also have a positive effect. The government recently inaugurated the San Pedro de Macoris bypass, the expansion of the La Romana-San Pedro highway to four lanes, the La Romana bypass and the Punta Cana Boulevard, in addition to the recently opened Coral Highway. In addition, the Santiago bypass is scheduled to open next year, reducing travel time from Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata.