Report says Dominican Republic bookings are rebounding
Flight booking volume from the US to the Dominican Republic seems to be rebounding after a recent slump.
While the causes of mysterious deaths in the Caribbean nation are still undetermined, or even if any are related, a ForwardKeys report says the worst may be over for Dominican Republic tourism.
It says a turnaround occurred on June 26, as new bookings started to overtake cancellations for the first time in weeks.
"The deaths of US citizens which occurred around the end of May and early June triggered an avalanche of media interest and speculation," said ForwardKeys insights vice president Olivier Ponti.
"That kind of attention was bound to put some holidaymakers off and indeed that is what we saw."
It said 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.
"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," Ponti added.
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.
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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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