Punta Cana not too long ago celebrated the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE) 2023, an important tourism honest of this enticing Caribbean island vacation spot promoted by the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (ASONAHORES).
Leading the assembly, David Collado, the nation’s Minister of Tourism, stated that between January and March, the Dominican Republic obtained 2.8 million vacationers, confirming the business’s increase, which, in line with the Dominican Central Bank, represents 25 p.c of the nation’s financial system.
In entrance of the important hoteliers, journey businesses, tour operators, and repair suppliers of the tourism business, Collado stated that the Dominican Republic had turn into a world benchmark within the sector with the arrival, in 2022, of greater than 8.5 million vacationers, of which 7.1 million visited by air.
“Never in history has our country surpassed 6.5 million tourists by air. The dream of the Dominican Republic is to reach 10 million tourists, and it will be a reality because we are planning to reach 9.8 million,” he stated.
From the viewpoint of sustainable tourism, he assured that the Dominican Republic more and more seeks to be a extra environmentally pleasant vacation spot for which they’ll implement an important decision with which resorts will regularly eradicate using plastics. Another of the nation’s key methods is to cut back the value of air tickets with the signing of the Open Skies Treaty with the United States.
Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE) 2023. (Photo Credit: Valentin Fuentes)
“We already had meetings with the State Department, and we hope that a delegation from the United States will come to the Dominican Republic to finalize this issue. The United States is our top tourist-sending nation.” He introduced that the Dominican Republic had elevated by greater than 10 p.c by way of American vacationers within the first quarter of the 12 months in comparison with 2019.
“We are also evaluating the reduction of the tax on airplane fuel and the fuel price. This will be effective over the next month because of the European market, which is very important in summer tourism, and we need to see how we lower costs for airlines for long-haul flights,” Collado stated. Indeed, you will need to be aware that Salim Arkuch, Vice President of Expedia Group for Latin America and the Caribbean, acknowledged the Dominican Republic because the primary producer within the Caribbean.
In addition, he reported that the Dominican Republic is main particular conferences to hunt an answer to the sargassum drawback that impacts Caribbean seashores. To that finish, $6 million has been invested, of which $1 million has been despatched to varied universities for analysis. Along with this funding, he stated that the Inter-American Development Bank helps 90 million {dollars} for the restoration of the Colonial City (Santo Domingo), which incorporates church buildings, neighborhoods, streets, and emblematic locations of the Dominican Republic’s tradition.
“This transformation includes art, fashion, and gastronomy. We will leave the Colonial City as a polished jewel because it is a treasure and heritage of humanity,” stated the Minister of Tourism. In addition to this initiative, the federal government is selling a undertaking to enhance seashores by a heavy funding centered on ending prostitution and abuse of younger folks.
According to Collado, safety is without doubt one of the high priorities on the agenda; that is why the Dominican Republic is investing greater than $3 million to strengthen the vacationer police. “In December, when more than 1 million tourists arrived by air and by cruise, we didn’t have a single incident to regret; and the same happened in Easter Week.”
Meanwhile, Andrés Marranzini, Vice President of ASONAHORES, stated, in an unique interview with TravelPulse, that the Dominican Republic has already totally recovered the variety of guests, and now the problem is to renew the agenda of enhancements by way of sustainability, along with different practices that developed earlier than the pandemic.
“We are going to implement the Zero Plastic program throughout the Dominican Republic, and also, we are now reincorporating the agenda into programs for washing and reusing towels, optimizing refrigeration and the liquids used in their processes,” he stated.
Andrés Marranzini, VP of ASONAHORES, introduced that Dominican Republic will implement the Zero Plastic Program. (Photo Credit: Valentin Fuentes)
He additionally burdened that because of the implementation of the e-ticket, it has been attainable to gather vital statistical data for the advantage of journey businesses. “With the e-ticket, we have found precious information, such as the type of passenger, their companions, the hotel they are looking for, etc. All this helps us to be much more efficient in optimizing resources and finding partners such as travel agents.”
He advised TravelPulse that within the subsequent 20 months, the Dominican Republic is projecting between 2,000 and three,000 rooms in numerous locations. Fortunately, many new entrants have reserving schemes, distribution, and participant golf equipment. In the technique that accompanies the advertising, the incorporation of the brand new rooms has been efficient sufficient. He additionally stated that the typical keep of consumers is seven days with a mean expenditure of $100. Moreover, he assured that the Dominican Republic has not too long ago centered on vacationers from the East of the United States taken with actions corresponding to tradition, golf, sustainability and social work.
Another of essentially the most related contributors of DATE 2023 was Víctor Pacheco, CEO of Arajet, a low-cost airline based mostly in Santo Domingo, which operates a community of 17 locations in 11 nations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The govt advised TravelPulse that they’ve not too long ago inaugurated the routes to New York City, Miami and Puerto Rico.
Víctor Pacheco, CEO of Arajet, stated that their flights are centered on democratizing journey within the Americas. (Photo Credit: Valentin Fuentes)
“The idea is to establish our hub in Santo Domingo to connect these destinations with Mexico City, Cancun, Guatemala, San Salvador, San José, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Cali, Medellín, Bogotá, Quito, Guayaquil, Lima, Aruba, Caracas, San Martin and Jamaica; in addition to expanding to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Uruguay.”
He famous that Arajet is dedicated to fuel-efficient operations with state-of-the-art sustainable plane. “When we started 2022, the company made a big effort with MAX 737 aircraft because we believe in sustainability, so now we have the youngest fleet of sustainable aircraft throughout the region,” stated Pacheco, and he stated that this enables them to supply the most effective value per kilometer.
He reported that, with its 17 routes and 42 new connections, Arajet has made greater than 2,500 flights and transported greater than 180,000 passengers. “We have travel agencies and tour operators as partners. Those interested can send us an email to make a customized plan for them; we have a list of about 300 partners with direct access to our website, and we want more,” stated Pacheco.
For this 12 months, Ajaret plans to open 10 new routes, along with doubling its fleet to shut the 12 months with 10 plane outfitted to function with a 14 p.c gasoline discount over essentially the most environment friendly single-aisle plane, plus a 50 p.c discount in comparison with different plane. “For now, our flights are focused on the Americas with the idea of democratizing travel in the region. By the end of our five-year plan, we will have to operate 54 destinations in America with a fleet of about 25 aircraft,” says the Arajet CEO.
Finally, he burdened that, as a part of the corporate’s social accountability program, the Pilot for a Day initiative has been created (with volunteers from Arajet) that consists of scholars from numerous faculties in low-income areas, cohabiting with pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, and technicians to study and planting improvement potentialities “so that children have decent dreams and that, in this way, commercial aviation can continue to grow.”
With the Pilot for a Day Program, college students from low-income faculties study with pilots and employees of Arajet. (Photo Credit: Valentin Fuentes)
ASONAHORES, with the assist of the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, created DATE in 2000 to focus on the Dominican tourism product by providing a industrial change for worldwide wholesalers, tour operators, incentive teams, airways, and constitution operators to generate enterprise with essentially the most essential vacationer suppliers of the Dominican Republic.
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Source: www.travelpulse.com”
