The World Tourism Barometer reports that preliminary results show that high demand for travel continued in 2006 despite all the downside risks such as terrorism, health scares and rising oil prices. An average growth in international tourist arrivals of around 4.5% is reported. Arrivals growth for 2007 is projected at a lower 4%. This is in line with the expected slowdown of the world economy as a result of a cooling of the US, Japanese and European housing markets. The WTO Barometer reports that for markets for which data is available, international tourism expenditure generally increased more strongly than outbound trip volume in 2006. This poses a challenge for the DR to capture more tourists with higher purchasing power. Likewise, the report indicates that the North American market is set to increase by only around 0.5% in 2007.
The WTO also highlights the silent information and communication technology revolution that is changing the travel industry. According to the Internet Advertising Bureau, search engines are becoming more used and trusted for information than family and friends.
The report states that among the most visited islands, there was continued growth in arrivals for the DR (+7%) – mainly from the USA, despite the appreciation of the Dominican peso against the US dollar. The peso is expected to depreciate against the dollar in 2007.
See http://dr1.com/travelnews/archive/2007/wtobarometer060207.pdf