The projections for the cruise ship business in the Dominican Republic are positive in terms of investment, number of visits, tourist satisfaction, number of ports and improvement of the experiences offered to visitors.
This is how Rafael Blanco Tejera, president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores), describes it, who is sure that the most important thing to promote this activity is that destinations have regulations, products and services, so that cruise passengers can enjoy their stay.
Blanco believes that in the Dominican Republic “we are organizing our destiny and providing high-quality services.” Thanks to this, businessmen are planning to make more investments, and the satisfaction of tourists who come to the country is above the average for the Caribbean region, according to his analysis.
In this season, 800,000 tourists are expected to arrive. The businessman believes that cruise tourism has grown along with the tourism sector in recent months.
Average spending
The average cruise vacationer spends around $80 per person, per day, which also impacts small and medium-sized businesses in communities near the docks.
For the president of Asonahores, the main importance of the arrival of tourists aboard the cruise ships is that it impacts communities that do not receive the traditional demand for tourism, as is the case of Puerto Plata, Samaná, Santo Domingo and, to a lesser extent, La Romana.
The president’s administration Louis Abinader The construction and expansion of more ports such as Samaná and Pedernales have been proposed.
annual conference
Asonahores is one of the entities that participates in the conference that the Association of Cruise ships of Florida and the Caribbean (FCCA, for its acronym in English) takes place in the Dominican Republic from October 11 to 14.
Yesterday, President Abinader and the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, led the welcome ceremony for hundreds of representatives from the 40 countries that gathered. This event seeks to analyze the challenges and the future of the industry’s operations, which are returning to normal after the pandemic.
The FCCA was founded in 1972 and brings together 22 companies from cruise ships affiliated, with more than 100 boats.
“As President of the Republic, I want to thank all of you for your interest and effort to strengthen our ties, continue working together and complete this successful journey,” Abinader told the public.
The president maintained that “the Dominican Republic is fashionable and we have returned to conquer the world from our coasts and ports.” He predicted that “the best is yet to come, and we will do it with all of you as allies.”
The Minister of Tourism corroborated that more and more cruise passengers continue to arrive in the Dominican Republic and pointed out the economic impact that their presence has in the different destinations.
In addition to the presence of the representatives of the main firms of cruise shipsThe Ministers of Tourism of Honduras, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines attend the conclave.
Likewise, the holders of Tourism of Barbados and the Cayman Islands, and of Economic Development of Curaçao and Granada; as well as the Secretary of Tourism of Sinaloa, Mexico, and other government authorities of the insular Caribbean.
