RD’s Arajet Doubles Tourist Arrivals from Central America
Arajet, the Dominican low-fare airline, reported that tourist arrivals from Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador grew by 144.8% in 2023, according to statistics published by the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR), which has been possible thanks to the direct flights that now exist to those countries and were previously unavailable.
According to the situr.mitur.gob.do portal in 2022 28,518 tourists arrived from those three countries, while in 2023 the number of visitors by air from those Central American nations increased to 69,800.
"We call this the Arajet effect," said Victor Pacheco, CEO and founder of Arajet, who added that "thanks to Arajet's low prices and the new routes we have opened, we have been able to see how these markets have grown; And not only those of Central America, but also those of other countries where there was no direct route, such as Ecuador, which grew by 50%, or markets where there was another operator but now there are more frequencies or new destinations, such as Mexico, which grew by 73% and where the new direct route to Cancun is located, or Peru, which grew by 29%, or Colombia, with an increase of 33% in tourists", explained Pacheco Méndez.
Arajet also informed that according to the data provided by the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) of the Dominican Republic, this airline mobilized in December 70% of the passengers transported among the Dominican airlines and 69% of the total passengers mobilized during the whole year 2023.
The JAC report details that Arajet mobilized 62,650 passengers in December and 463,560 during 2023, while all other Dominican airlines added together transported 210, 593 last year.
"For 2024 we expect to continue to have a positive impact on tourist arrivals to the Dominican Republic, especially if the open skies agreement with the United States is signed soon, which would allow more flights at low prices to the main country of origin of tourists and residence of the large Dominican diaspora," concluded Pacheco in a note sent to the media.
