Dominican Republic: positive action needed as US bookings fall

A spate of US tourist deaths has created challenges for the Dominican Republic, triggering a decline in bookings for travel to the country for the rest of the US high summer travel season.

It remains to be seen how much the negative publicity will affect the Dominican Republic's tourism industry in 2019. A study by ForwardKeys shows a major drop in bookings for the Jul-Aug-2019 time frame, and a sizeable increase in cancellations for travel from the US to the country.

Over the long term, the country's tourism numbers are likely to remain on solid footing. Cancún, which has also had to deal with similar episodes during the past couple of years, remains one of the top destinations for US travellers this summer.

Some airlines are offering their customers an ability to change itineraries for travel to the Dominican Republic in light of the recent incidents, which is a normal response in this type of situation.

JetBlue, the largest airline operating between the US and the Dominican Republic, is cutting service from La Romana, but that route elimination is part of larger network adjustments for the airline, rather than a reflection of the current challenges the Dominican Republic faces from the incidents involving US tourists.