Dominican Republic Tourism Minister forecasts 80,000 hotel rooms in 2017

The Dominican Republic could have more than 80,000 hotel rooms by the end of the year, according to its Tourism Minister, Francisco Javier García.

García said on average 5,000 hotel rooms have been added over the past number of years. In 2016, 5,470 new rooms entered the market. Most of these hotel rooms have been opened in Punta Cana.

He said that while the increase in hotel rooms is a usual indicator of tourism development, in the case of the Dominican Republic, the occupancy percentage has increased to 87 per cent. In Puerto Plata, occupancy is estimated to be 90 per cent.

He highlighted the improvement in the hotel room occupancy in the Colonial City that is now at 74 per cent, up from 50 per cent over the past years. García told the audience of the American Chamber of Commerce luncheon event that the industry generated US$6.72 billion last year.

He said the industry has grown 137 per cent since year 2000. "More tourists are coming, and they are spending more money,” he said. More than 6 million tourists arrived in 2016, for a 101 per cent increase since 2000.

He highlighted the fact that maritime visits have also been extraordinary, with 836,000 passengers visiting in 2016. He said first quarter statistics already show an increase in cruise ship passengers of 37 per cent. Further information is available by visiting www.godominicanrepublic.com.