Exit polls indicate that 96.8% of foreign air arrivals come for leisure reasons. Of these 95.2% stayed at hotels. 60.4% of the travelers are in the 21-49 year age bracket. Airport statistics show that 70,168 arrivals were children aged 0-12 years, this is up 4.5% over the figures for last year. Likewise, some 87,139 were in the 13-20 year age bracket, 26.7% more than last year?s 68,770 arrivals in this age group.
Central Bank statistics show that 50.8% of the foreign air arrivals were men, including those coming for business purposes and entering with the purchase of a tourist card. Some 24,422 visitors came for business or conference engagements this year. This is 22% up last year?s 20,008 business or conference arrivals.
During the first four months of the year, the Dominican government sold 1,070,213 tourist cards, thus tourism produced US$10 million in revenues for the Dominican government at the ports of entry.