Tourist Arrivals to the Dominican Republic Dwindle, but France Still Sends the Most

Tourist Arrivals to the Dominican Republic Dwindle, but France Still Sends the Most

Of the three million visitors to Dominican Republic last year, 1.2 million were Europeans, a figure higher than Cuba and the Mexican Caribbean, and confirms France as the top outbound market.

France contributes 250,000 tourists per year, higher than countries like Germany, Spain, Italy, Great Britain or Russia, according to Jean Marc Harion, president of the Dominican-French Chamber of Commerce (CCDF), during his participation in the "First European Tourism Summit,” quoted by news source diariolibre.com.

Nonetheless the figures don’t mean much for the country’s hoteliers and tourism sector representatives, because they prefer fewer tourists, as long as they spend more and stay longer, said Julio Llibre, president of the National Hotels and Tourism Association (Asonahores), speaking as a panelist in the conference held the Hotel Santo Domingo.

The hoteliers also acknowledged a fall in tourist arrivals from Europe, but recognize that they have to look for alternatives in the Russian market and other zones like South America.