Santo Domingo.- The high cost of airline tickets is one of the biggest obstacles faced by the Dominican Republic in attracting tourists, according to the country’s hoteliers and the government.
Hoteliers consulted by arecoa.com regarding this worrying situation for the tourism industry indicated that “it is not understood why an air ticket between the United States and the DR costs twice as much as flying to any other destination in the region.”
They argued that no matter what class is chosen, tourist, business, or economy, they are all equally expensive.
“If we talk about Europe, one could mention as justification the issue of distance, fuel… but from the United States it is nonsense that flying costs so much,” they said.
On different occasions, the head of Mitur, David Collado, has also expressed his concern about the high cost of traveling from the United States to the DR, explaining at the time how the country loses competitiveness against other tourist markets because the price of flights for U.S. visitors is so high.
Mexico is one of the markets that take advantage of the expensive airline tickets, being for many U.S. travelers a more accessible option. However, these tourists end up spending the same in the Aztec country as in the DR; the truth is that the airline ticket is a big obstacle and a titanic challenge to overcome.