NewsWhore
03-09-2011, 03:50 PM
With the exception of Punta Cana, the nation's tourist areas are stagnating, according to a study carried out by Harvard University and quoted in most of the daily newspapers.
Hoy newspaper says that the study recommended that the DR's tourist offer needs to be more diversified. La Romana, Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo are said to be lagging behind. The newspapers quote the study that also asks how the oldest city in the new world, a place full of historical firsts could attract so few tourists and promote so little its attractions. The study placed the Dominican Republic in 36th place out of the 57 countries studied. The study found that the average expenditure by a tourist in the Dominican Republic was just US$107.20 per day, one of the lowest figures in the area and a reflection of a tourism model in which tourists does not leave their hotel and therefore have little temptation to spend on foods, drinks, souvenirs and entertainment. The study attributed this to the lack of additional offers, a lack of infrastructure and "security issues". The study suggested solutions ranging from hunting and fishing, mountaineering, camping, conventions, eco-tourism, adventures, cultural and medical tourism as a step in the right direction. Any of these would yield higher expenditures and a higher number of tourists per room. They also mention the beaches of Pedernales and Montecristi as being "exceptional" yet unexploited.
See the CID report: http://dr1.com/news/2011/030911_CID-RD2011.pdf (10 MB).
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#11)
Hoy newspaper says that the study recommended that the DR's tourist offer needs to be more diversified. La Romana, Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo are said to be lagging behind. The newspapers quote the study that also asks how the oldest city in the new world, a place full of historical firsts could attract so few tourists and promote so little its attractions. The study placed the Dominican Republic in 36th place out of the 57 countries studied. The study found that the average expenditure by a tourist in the Dominican Republic was just US$107.20 per day, one of the lowest figures in the area and a reflection of a tourism model in which tourists does not leave their hotel and therefore have little temptation to spend on foods, drinks, souvenirs and entertainment. The study attributed this to the lack of additional offers, a lack of infrastructure and "security issues". The study suggested solutions ranging from hunting and fishing, mountaineering, camping, conventions, eco-tourism, adventures, cultural and medical tourism as a step in the right direction. Any of these would yield higher expenditures and a higher number of tourists per room. They also mention the beaches of Pedernales and Montecristi as being "exceptional" yet unexploited.
See the CID report: http://dr1.com/news/2011/030911_CID-RD2011.pdf (10 MB).
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#11)