The Central Bank’s recently released 2004 exit poll results looks into how tourists find out about DR vacations. The results show that way back in 2004, most tourists in the US found out about the DR through travel agents (38%), followed by friends and relatives (20%), and then the Internet (5%). Far fewer got their information from newspapers (2%) and magazines (3%). In the case of Canadian tourists, 44% relied on travel agents, 24% on friends and 6% on the Internet, versus 5% on magazines and 2% on newspapers.
With German travelers, 53% came through travel agencies, 19% through friends, and 8% through the Internet, with 5% mentioning magazines and 5% newspapers as their source of information. British tourists also relied on travel agents (41), friends 31%, and the Internet (9%) compared to 4% magazines and 2% newspapers.
French tourists breakdown was 46% travel agencies, 20% friends, 14% Internet, with 3% magazines and newspapers.
In the case of the Finnish market, 50% heard about the country through travel agencies, 31% from the Internet and 13% from friends.
It can be expected that the Internet figures for 2005 poll results will be much higher, as the media increases its importance as a leading media for reaching travelers around the world.