The Dominican Republic to Flaunt its Roots at FITUR 2019

The country, a tourism leader in the Caribbean with 6.2 million tourists in 2017, will have a large showcase to promote the destination, adding its brand to the FITUR brand.

Its exuberant nature, eco-tourism, adventure and picture-perfect beaches, as well as good connections and economic growth, make this Caribbean country a pioneer destination, attractive for tourism investments and businesses.

The upcoming edition of the International Tourism Fair, FITUR 2019, will present the Dominican Republic as a partner country, a destination that has continued to grow in recent years and which is currently a tourism leader in the Caribbean, with 6.2 million international tourists arriving in 2017, according to the Dominican Republic Central Bank. The addition of the Dominican Republic as a FITUR partner opens a wide field of joint action for communication and promotion of this important tourism industry event, organised by IFEMA from the 23 to 27 January at Feria de Madrid.

This collaboration also contributes to creating a close relationship between the sum of the Dominican Republic and the International Tourism Fair, which will enable the new FITUR partner, a country that has long participated in the Fair, to take advantage and benefit even more from the event’s great promotional potential. Under the slogan “It has everything” the Caribbean country will set up an important international showcase to promote the destination.

The strong ties with Spain in language, culture and history, as well as the good commercial relations and air connections, make the Dominican Republic a destination packed with opportunities and in constant growth for the tourism industry. This industry represents 60 to 70% of the total Spanish investment in the island, with plans to increase in coming years, positively affecting the country’s economy and tourism development.

The “FITUR partner” initiative was implemented in 2016 and it provides Trade Fair participants with the chance to join a partner program, offering them the widest publicity and impact for their destination through its communication strategy.

Tourist visits have continuously increased, to the point that it has made the Dominican Republic the leader in tourism in the Antilles archipelago. 5.9 million tourists were recorded between January and November 2018, which is a 6.2% inter-annual increase.

Cruise tourism is also going through a period of development and success, after registering a record number of 546,444 cruise passengers in 2017, with a very good forecast for 2018. “The Ministry of tourism estimates that by the end of 2018 we will have positive tourist numbers.

The Dominican Republic is the favourite long-distance destination for Spaniards”, explained Karyna Font-Bernard, director of the Dominican Republic Tourism Office for Spain and Portugal. In 2017 a total of 173,065 Spanish tourists travelled to the destination, which takes up the Eastern two-thirds of the island that Christopher Columbus founded as Hispaniola.

The increase in the complementary offering, excursions and tourism attractions, as well as the noticeable increase of internal land, air and sea communications justify not only the inter-annual growth in tourism but also the interest of international investors in the destination.

The increase and improvement of the hotels is one of the most significant indicators. Throughout 2018 over 7,000 new rooms were added to the accommodation offered by the Dominican Republic. Therefore, it is expected that the year will close having exceeded expectations regarding the number of tourists.

The Spanish groups are the ones best positioned in the destination and both the projects completed and the ongoing investments clearly show that the Dominican Republic is a firm choice for the future.

Visitors at the Trade Fair will discover that this destination, bathed by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, has a green heart. Beyond its spectacular beaches, the Dominican Republic is vying for a top place in the eco-tourism destination ranking, meeting the expectations of adventure and nature tourism fans.