‘Relief’ for Dom Rep as bookings rebound
US bookings to the Dominican Republic are rebounding after the recent slump, ForewardKeys data shows.
The Caribbean destination suffered a huge drop in interest following reports of several mysterious deaths of US tourists on the island, which made worldwide headlines.
A ForwardKeys report says a turnaround occurred on June 26, as new bookings started to overtake cancellations for the first time in weeks.
ForwardKeys insights vice president Olivier Ponti said: "The deaths of US citizens which occurred around the end of May and early June triggered an avalanche of media interest and speculation.
"That kind of attention was bound to put some holidaymakers off and indeed that is what we saw."
Data showed bookings reached their lowest ebb on June 19 just after news of the death of Long Island pizzeria owner Vittorio Caruso, 56.
ForwardKeys said even when US bookings declined the crisis didn’t impact bookings from other Caribbean markets, especially from Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Aruba.
Ponti added: "I am greatly relieved for the Dominican Republic that the crisis in confidence appears to be abating and I am hopeful that it will be relatively short-lived, particularly if there are no more deaths and if the current FBI investigation establishes a clear cause of death."
The FBI is assisting Dominican law enforcement with toxicology tests and testing alcohol from resorts.
Tainted alcohol is still considered a possible cause based on reports many had drunk from hotel room minibars.
Last week, TravelMole reported Hard Rock had removed minibars from its hotel rooms on the island as a precaution.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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