The director of Operations of Gregorio Luperon International Airport in Puerto Plata, Enrique Pacheco reports that more Scandinavian tourists are visiting Puerto Plata, regarded as a market for tourists who enjoy exploring on their own. Scandinavian travel is up 26% this year.
Enrique Pacheco reports that in the first three months of 2014, 289,000 passengers have arrived by the Gregorio Luperon Puerto Plata airport. Nevertheless, the numbers for the first quarter of the year are 7,200 passengers less than for the same period last year. Pacheco attributed the decrease to Russian tour operators diverting two frequencies from Moscow and St. Petersburg to the all-inclusive vacation land of Punta Cana.
Pacheco said that in the first three months of the year there has been an average of 69 flights per week from 15 airlines from the United States, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean islands into the Puerto Plata airport.
He forecast the year will end with an annual increase of 2-3%. Pacheco says that the stop of the Russian flights should soon be compensated by the arrival of new frequencies by other airlines.
Air Berlin will increase from one to two frequencies its two routes to Dusseldorf and Munich, Germany, starting 1 November. Condor will start new weekly service from Munich. Air Transat starts a new frequency from Hamilton, Canada starting 19 December. JetBlue is adding a weekly direct flight to Boston. Puerto Rico is now served by a three times a week flight to San Juan by InterCaribbean Airways.
The Puerto Plata market is also served by the Santiago Cibao International Airport that offers more daily flights than the POP terminal and offers better airfares from key international airports, such as JFK in New York.
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