The Central Bank says that for the first half of March, foreign air arrivals increased 19% compared to the same period in 2002. In January travel had been up 36%, in February 22%.
So far, the Caribbean had somewhat benefited from the uncertainty, as more US travelers preferred to stay in the neighborhood and have chosen to vacation in the region. Travel operators worldwide are uniting to proactively convince customers that the majority of foreign travel is still safe. Minister of Tourism Rafael Subervi Bonilla has emphasized that he will continue selling the Dominican Republic as a safe destination for travel.
According to the Central Bank 149,808 foreigners visited from 1-16 March 2003. The Dominican Republic is the Caribbean country with the most foreign air arrivals.
The Central Bank attributes this rise to competitive price offers, a stronger economy in the US and good promotional work by the Dominican tourist industry in both the private and government sectors.