One possible belief surrounding foreign tourists staying overnight at a resort in the DR is that any economic impact they generate leaves benefits only to the hotels, with little or no contact with the businesses and attractions in the area where they are staying.
However, a survey conducted by the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) to evaluate the experiences of visitors in the DR shows that six out of every 10 non-resident foreigners who were in the country during 2023 engaged in activities outside of their lodging, and 84% of them would repeat the activity they did.
Of the 53,810 travelers interviewed by the institution between June and December 2023, 80% said they stayed in a hotel, from where they moved on to other activities in the destination.
Saona and Colonial City: two of the most preferred attractions
The visit to Saona Island turned out to be the most common attraction chosen by tourists, with 18%. This is due, in addition to its natural attraction and the affordability to go there, to the location of the island in the eastern region, which receives more tourist flow.
Another survey of destinations conducted by Mitur between July and December, and in which 28,370 travelers participated, indicates that Punta Cana was the main destination chosen by tourists who stayed in the DR, with 42%.
This is followed by the Colonial Zone, in Santo Domingo, with an 8% weighting, and coinciding with the fact that this province was the second most visited destination, with 18%, according to Diario Libre.
Other places preferred by tourists to visit outside their stays are:
Catalina Island, La Romana (3 %).
Cayo Levantado, Samaná (3 %)
Puerto Plata cable car (2 %)
Hoyo Azul, Punta Cana (2%)
Los Haitises, Samaná (1 %)
Altos de Chavón, Punta Cana (1 %)
When looking at the data not by the place visited, but by the type of activity, 14% preferred destinations that offered buggy rides and 10% for scuba diving.
Similarly, 4 % opted for horseback riding and the same percentage of tourists said they jumped on ziplines. Three percent visited a theme park, while 2 percent played golf.
“As the additional offer increases, so will the number of tourists leaving the hotel,” said Jacqueline Mora, technical vice-minister of Tourism.
She said that “44 % of the tourists surveyed traveled from the United States, 15 % from Canada, 7 % from Colombia, 5 % from Puerto Rico and 4 % from Spain, being these the five nationalities that most reported having lived some kind of experience during their stay in the country. Meanwhile, 16 % of non-resident foreigners reside in different parts of the world.”
“Fifty-four percent of the non-resident foreigners who participated in this survey had already visited the DR more than once”, he added.
Source: Arecoa.com
