The crisis affecting the economies of the European Union is having an effect on the flow of tourists from the Old Continent to the Dominican Republic. According to Hoy, between January and November of 2012, some 35,000 fewer Europeans visited the country. Most of this reduction came from lower passenger numbers from the UK, Spain, Italy and Germany. However, Russia and France increased their flow of tourists by 42,000, lessening the blow. The Central Bank released figures that revealed that 329,000 non-residents visited the Dominican Republic in December, a 4% increase over last year. The report also confirmed that North America continues to dominate the Dominican tourist market with over 55% of all visitors and showing an increase of 204,000 this year (171,000 from the US and 29,000 from Canada).