Puerto Rico travel agents want to see a return to business with the Dominican Republic. As reported in Weekly Journal, an affiliate with El Vocero, the Puerto Rican daily, reports that “this year’s summer business was all but lost”. From a usual 60,000 Puerto Ricans booking vacations at Punta Cana hotels, this has dropped to around 2,000. Losses are estimated at US$10 million for Puerto Rican travel agencies
Daphne Barbeito said that Punta Cana has traditional lead travel sales locally between the months of May to August. He explained the season was “totally lost” this year due to Covid-19. “No planes were promoted, nor were planes chartered to create a more attractive offering. The impact on the agencies has been very strong. We went to almost zero,” he said.
Statistics show that after the reopening of borders in July 2020, the DR received 46.207 American tourists, 1,856 Puerto Ricans and 1,709 Spaniards.
Manuel Franceschini, president of the Puerto Rican Travel Agencies Association (APAV), says that they continue to bet on the Dominican Republic as a key destination for Puerto Ricans despite the situation. “It is still a good alternative because it is a short half-hour flight, which is less risky than being locked in a plane for long hours,” he stated as reported in Weekly Journal.
“The European market and some Caribbean islands have not yet opened to American citizens, cruises are paralyzed, and Disney is not an option. Dominican Republic is open,” Franceschini affirmed.
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Weekly Journal
21 August 2020