The Economist Intelligence Unit reports on what it calls the ?notable
\nrebound? tourism in the Dominican Republic is having this year. The EIU analysts
\nattributed the recent growth to attractive hotel prices, the result of the sharp
\ndepreciation of the peso since last year. Other factors behind tourism’s
\nrecovery are a reduced fear of terrorism and the increased promotional work
\nbeing carried out by the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Tourism, particularly
\nwith leading tour operators during major travel fairs. Central Bank statistics
\nshow that tourist arrivals for the January-June period in 2003 were 1,404,726,
\nup from 1,167,430 in 2002, and 1,351,812 in 2001. Of the total, 41.4% came from
\nEurope, 31.6% from the United States, 20.2% from Canada.
\nThe most popular destination in the country is the Punta Cana\/Bavaro area on the
\neastern coast. That destination grew by almost 13% over last year. Punta Cana
\nreceives 43% of all tourists visiting the Dominican Republic, and its airport is
\nnow the leading port of entry in the entire country.
\nAccording to EIU, ?The solid performance of tourism has contributed to strong
\nexpansion in the hotels, bars and restaurants component of GDP, which grew by a
\nwhopping 28.8% in the first quarter of 2003 compared with the year before.?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Economist Intelligence Unit reports on what it calls the ?notable rebound? tourism in the Dominican Republic is having this year. The EIU analysts attributed the recent growth to attractive hotel prices, the result of the sharp depreciation of the peso since last year. Other factors behind tourism’s recovery are a reduced fear of terrorism … <\/p>\n