1. History of Tourism in the Dominican Republic

2. Tourism in the present day

3. Visitor statistics

4. Weather in the Punta Cana

5. Advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the country
    Advantages  Disadvantages 

6. Tourism in the 2000s until 2009

7. Major tourist destinations of the Dominican Republic
    East Region  Santo Domingo  North Region or Cibao  South Region 

8. References

As one of the most geographically diverse nations in the region, the Dominican Republic is home to the Caribbean's tallest mountain peak, Pico Duarte, as well as the largest lake and lowest elevation, Lake Enriquillo.^[4] The country is also the site of the first cathedral, castle, monastery, and fortress built in all of the Americas, located in Santo Domingo's Colonial Zone, an area declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.^[5][6]

History of Tourism in the Dominican Republic

Tourism in the Dominican Republic came very slowly until 1930, due to the political strife and internal warfare that has been present throughout most of the country's history. When the dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo came into power, it can be said that tourism in the country began to take another direction, although during the 1930s it was relatively weak; 230 foreign tourists arrived in the country in 1930, perhaps the only recorded tourism statistics in the country, during that time. During the 1940s, Trujillo instructed to foster tourism in the country, thus beginning to promote tourism in the country to other countries, this being the first concrete step to attract tourists to the country.

In 1944, Malecón de Santo Domingo was inaugurated, together with the first luxury hotel in the city, the Hotel Jaragua, which remains open. After this step, new hotel chains were opened, to increase tourism in the city; in the 1950s, several hotels were opened, including the Hotel Provincial, which is now a children's hospital; the Hotel la Paz, which is still open, although that is now known as Hotel Hispaniola, which was built a few meters from the city and also, in the Colonial Zone, Hotel Comercial, the first hotel of private capital in the country; the Colonial Zone was fitted out as a site for tourism.

One of the hotels built in that decade was the Hotel El Embajador. Large hotels were also built in the countryside at that time.

In the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, the Hotel Matún was built for tourists. In the city of Barahona, the Hotel Guarocuya was built. Shortly afterwards, the Hotel Maguana was built in San Juan de la Maguana. The Hotel San Cristóbal was built in the province of the same name.

In the cities of Jarabacoa and Constanza, both in the Province of La Vega the hotels Montaña and Suiza, respectively, were inaugurated. In Samaná Province, the Hotel Cayacoa was built. Several hotels were built in the Northwest Line of the country, such as the Hotel Caoba in the city of Santa Cruz de Mao, where it was built the Hotel Caoba, located in the Province Valverde and in Santiago Rodríguez Province, where the Hotel Marien was built.

Hotels were also built in the east of the country, which has become the country's main tourist destinatio. This started in the San Pedro de Macorís Province, where the Hotel Macorí was built, while in Boca Chica the Hotel Hamaca was built around the beach; in Higüey the Hotel El Barajo was built and in El Seibo built the Hotel Santa Cruz was built.

At that time, there were more than 1,000 hotel rooms in the country. This advanced the country's tourism industry.

In 1955 Trujillo, carried out the "Fair of Peace and Fraternity of the Free World", which was an international event held in Ciudad Trujillo, now Santo Domingo; with this event, Trujillo sought to show its great progress in physical buildings and show to the world that the Dominican Republic had a society of peace and brotherhood. This fair was extended until 1958.

The invasion of Constanza, Maimón and Estero Hondo, which occurs in 1959, also the crime of Mirabal Sisters in 1960, and the death of Trujillo in 1961, caused many foreign tourists come to visit and to make their investments{{clarify|date=August 2015}} in the country. Political instability and social unrest which culminated in the civil war of 1965 and the subsequent military occupation by US Marines negatively affected the tourism industry. The Cuban Revolution and embargo also diverted American tourists to the Dominican Republic.

For this reason and others, it was not until 1966, when Dr. Joaquín Balaguer, who ruled the country until 1978, was elected, that the necessary economic policies to aid the tourism sector were carried out. During this period tourism increased in the country.

In 1968, legislation declared tourism development to be of national interest. In 1969, the National Tourism Bureau was created, which later passed to the Ministry of Tourism (Secretaría de Estado de Turismo). In 1971, the law 153, which spoke of incentives and the promotion to tourism in the country, was promulgated. In 1972 INFRATUR, a financial institution for the development of tourism infrastructure, was created. These events served as a basis for tourism to have a starting point which would then lead to further development. Experts on the subject state that from the decade of the 1970s onwards was the period of development of tourism in the Dominican Republic.

Tourism in the present day

From the 90s to today, the Dominican tourism has been developed and operated at its fullest, developing more housing complexes, through agreements and foreign advisors. Consequently, the number of hotel rooms in the decade of the 80s was about 8,562 and the 90s was 45,000.

In 1997 arrived by sea around 270,830 tourists from abroad, of which 156,099 used the ports in Santo Domingo, 5,566 did so through the port of Puerto Plata, 108.698 disembarked in La Romana, 404 for Samaná and only 63 cruisers did so in Boca Chica. This figure compared with those of 1996, it shows that in 1997 the number of foreign visitors who used the waterway increased by over one hundred percent.

In 1996 entered to the country by sea 110.936, an amount that increased to 270,380 cruise passengers. Despite not having any financial incentive for ecotourism, this is in its true splendor. It posed above is confirmed by the annual statistics for visitation to ecotourism businesses and protected areas, which exceed 800,000 people. It quote the following data, for the year 1998: total visitors to ecotourism projects was 930,000.

Increasing competition, for example created by the Asian markets, and a change in the motivation of tourists, now forces authorities managing regions, and tour operators to supplement their offer with new options, not based directly on the sun, sand and sea. It has been argued that the Dominican Republic should focus on diversifying its tourism product, so as to prevent elimination from the market by competitors when tourists completely change their preferences by shifting, for example, from 3S to 3E.^[7]

Visitor statistics

Most visitors arriving to Dominican Republic were from the following areas of residence or countries of nationality:^[8]

Weather in the Punta Cana

The weather in Punta Cana averages between a high of 81 °F to 86 °F. The average rainfall monthly is 45 inches. The average days per month is 11.25. Hours of sunshine can vary from 8 to 10 hours. The seawater temperature will vary from 79 °F to 84 °F. The weather is nice year-round which attracts vacationers even in the winter months.

Advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the country

Tourism in the Dominican Republic, like other countries, has its advantages and disadvantages in both the domestic market and internationally.

Advantages

Tourism offers many benefits to the country, both economically as in the political, social, cultural, etc. Some of these could be:

• Revenues and increases of the country's economy.
• Exchange of different cultures
• Generates and increases employment opportunities.
• Increase of foreign flights into the country.
• External relationships.
• Generation of currencies, and currency input from other foreign countries.

Disadvantages

Tourism not only offers advantages, but also disadvantages, not only for the country but for all countries. Some of these are:

• Destruction of the fauna and flora of the tourist areas.
• Waste multiply in tourist areas.
• The pollution caused by the large number of transportation to the island and during the tourists stay including airplanes, buses, cruise ships and other automobiles.
• Input and output of harmful products.

Tourism in the 2000s until 2009

The country's tourism has become the primary industry of income for itself and his major provinces, dedicated to this industrial activity. The country offers a wide choice of accommodations in the city, in the mountains and in the hotels of coastal shorebirds. The Dominican Republic is one of the top vacation places for the countries of the European continent, North America US and Canada and also the countries of South America. This is because the island has a rich history and unique culture, and its people so welcoming and friendly. Also for its great Caribbean beaches and its tropical and unique climate.

The main areas of tourist activity in the country are the regions of the East, North, Santo Domingo and Barahona, but nevertheless, there has been an increase in the interior, with many tours on foot or by bike through the mountains and fields. In 2001 the Dominican Republic was visited by over two million people and according to the Central Bank, the Dominican tourism industry has generated 2,103 million dollars, exceeding 1,782 million achieved in the previous year.

According to Central Bank figures, more than 2.5 million tourists arrived by air to the country in 2001, a 10.1% increase over the figure given in 2000. 58% of tourists came from European countries, mostly countries like Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and USA, were recorded countries like the United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and among others.

Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the Dominican economy, because this makes great contributions to it. The movements of tourists to other parts of the country involving expenditure, especially when is from a nation to another, that is the case of the country; Foreign tourists usually consume in dollars or exchange their currency for the Dominican peso, this generates an injection of dollars into the economy and thus the country can buy the services and products that do not produce. The country had revenues in 2004 of 2.557 million euros.

The Dominican Republic, thanks to its geographical location in the Caribbean, has many areas that are exploited for tourism.{{fact|date=January 2019}} This includes its beaches and its scenery.{{fact|date=January 2019}} The most exploited provinces in terms of tourism are concerned, after the era of Trujillo, are Puerto Plata, La Romana and La Altagracia, also worth noting that the del Este peninsula, is the country's most important tourist area.{{fact|date=January 2019}}

Dominican tourism is an issue that is part of the daily lives of its citizens, because it depends largely on the economic livelihood of the same, and their way of life.

Major tourist destinations of the Dominican Republic

Among the main tourist destinations are:

East Region

//La Altagracia">La Altagracia

It is the leading province in the country in terms of tourism, among the most important areas are:

• Bávaro: This area is located in the east of the Dominican Republic, in the province La Altagracia. According to a report by UNESCO, it recognizes the beaches of Bávaro as the best in the Caribbean Among its more popular activities include aquatic excursions such as snorkeling and catamaran tours on the beaches, as well as its luxury hotels.
• Higüey: The city of Higüey is within the tourist destinations in the province, since it is found, the Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia and Sanctuary San Dionisio; also is the fortified residence of its founder, Juan Ponce de León, which is so visited by foreign tourists and communes and more inhabitants of the country.

• Punta Cana: This resort area of the country is located in the extreme east of the Dominican Republic, and an important part of the main destinations of the world, the country, the region, the province, in conclusion, it is one of the most important places for the realization of the tourism in the country, as Punta Cana is the place where have the most famous beaches in the country. To get to Punta Cana, it can perform in vehicle through the corridor of 179 kilometers long, consisting of the sections of the highway of Las Américas, the Eastern Highway, the Ring of San Pedro de Macorís, the stretch San Pedro de Macorís-La Romana, La Romana Beltway and the Autopista del Coral; Similarly one can go via the Las Américas International Airport, or via the Punta Cana International Airport, which is about 2 km from the town of Punta Cana.

• La Romana: One of the main options for foreign tourists when choosing a destination for their holidays. La Romana has many beaches. To get to La Romana, it can through the La Romana International Airport or Punta Cana Airport. La Romana is the seventh-largest city in the Dominican Republic with a population estimated in 2010 at 130,426 within the city limits (metropolitan population: 214,109), of whom 127,623 are urban and 2,803 are rural. The city is capital of the southeastern province of La Romana, opposite Catalina Island. The name Romana comes from a balance that was used to weigh merchandise for export. Santa Rosa de Lima is the patron saint of La Romana. The modern La Romana International Airport was opened in 2000. The city is near several other cities, such as San Pedro de Macorís and the national capital, Santo Domingo de Guzmán. The city is a hub for a growing tourist industry with several nearby local resort spots, such as the beachfront Bayahibe, Dominicus, Casa de Campo, and the growing number of golf resorts that surround the area.

• Altos de Chavón: It is an old-type Mediterranean village built on a height above the Chavón River in Dominican Republic. It is the seat of a Cultural Centre, the National Archaeological Museum, and the called City of the Artists. also has a notable Amphitheater. The Altos de Chavón Amphitheater which has about 5,000 seats. It was opened in 1982.

• Saona Island: The Saona Island is considered as one of the most important trips or sightseeing tours of the country^[9] It is considered by the visitor as a natural paradise. Saona Island is about 110 kmª, and is the largest of the 13 adjacent islands of the country. This island offers fine white sand beaches, crystal clear waters. One of the biggest attractions is the "Natural Pool", which does not have a meter deep and it can see aquatic species such as coral reefs, marine meadowss, starfish and fish. The main white sand beaches of Isla Saona are located on the southern coast from Punta Catuano to Punta de Cruz except the area between the southern end of the beach of El Gato to Punta Laguna. The most important places of the Saona are the towns and villages of Mano Juan and Catuano; extensive white sand beaches and coral reefs with very clear waters; coconut trees along the coast, the Secucho lagoons, Los Flamencos and Canto de la Playa,^[10] the Alto de la Vigía (the highest point of the island); the Banks of Crowned Pigeon, the Mature Timberlands, cultivated areas and the town of Adamanay. Saona island belongs to the Park del Este. Along with los Haitises is the most important in the region and one of the main in the country, constituting the only wooded area of relative extension on the south coast of the eastern region. In this protected natural area are preserved semi-humid forests, coastal lagoons, mangroves, coral reefs, sea grasses. Also caverns with cultural values. Contains impressive archaeological sites like remains of indigenous settlements, ceremonial places perfectly preserved, sites of ceremonial offerings, large rock art and sunken colonial ships.

• Catalina Island: This island is a protected natural park where there are not any buildings.
• Bayahibe: Bayahibe is also suitable for sharing with family and friends, and is also a common place for golfers and for those who enjoy scuba diving. Bayahibe is the nearest point to take a trip to Catalina Island, Catalinita Island and Saona Island.

//San Pedro de Macorís">San Pedro de Macorís

is a

//Municipalities of the Dominican Republic">municipality (municipio) in the Dominican Republic and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís province in the south-eastern region of the country; it is among the 10 largest cities of the Dominican Republic. The city has approximately 195,000 inhabitants, when including the metro area. As a provincial capital, it houses the Universidad Central del Este university.

• Juan Dolio: It is located just a few kilometers from the capital city of Santo Domingo and from San Pedro de Macoris. Juan Dolio is currently among the major tourist areas of the country.

Santo Domingo

• Santo Domingo: Santo Domingo has a main tourist area, the Colonial Zone, as well as historical monuments, of which most were built by the Spaniards who originally colonized the island.
• Boca Chica: It is one of the most popular places in the Dominican Republic, due to its beach. It is located about 30 kilometers and 25 minutes from Santo Domingo eastward passing the Las Américas International Airport.

North Region or Cibao

//Santiago de los Caballeros">Santiago de los Caballeros

Santiago de los Caballeros or simply Santiago (English: Saint James of the Thirty Knights) is the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic, and the fourth-largest city in the Caribbean. It is the capital of the Santiago Province and the major metropolis in the north-central region of the country. Its urban population reaches 550,753 inhabitants, and if rural areas are included its population rises to 691,262.Santiago is located approximately 155 km (96 mi) northwest of Santo Domingo with an average altitude of 178 meters (584 ft). It was traditionally known in English as St. Yago. During the Haitian occupation from 1822 to 1844 it was officially designated as Saint-Yague. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European settlement in the New World, the city is the "first Santiago of the Americas". Today the city is one of the Dominican Republic's cultural, political, industrial, and financial centers. Due to its location in the fertile Cibao Valley it has a robust agricultural sector and is a leading exporter of rum, textiles, and cigars. Santiago is known as "La Ciudad Corazón" (the "Heartland City").

//Puerto Plata (city)">Puerto Plata

Puerto Plata is officially known as San Felipe de Puerto Plata, is the ninth-largest city in the Dominican Republic, and capital of the province of Puerto Plata. The city is a trading port.

Puerto Plata has resorts such as Playa Dorada and Costa Dorada, which are located east of the city proper. There are 100,000 hotel beds in the city. The only aerial tramway in the Caribbean is located in Puerto Plata, in which visitors can ride up to the Pico Isabel de Torres, a 793 meter high mountain within the city. The fortification Fortaleza San Felipe, which was built in the 16th century and served as a prison under Rafael Trujillo's dictatorship, lies close to the port of Puerta Plata. The amber museum, is also a well-known attraction in this city. La Isabela, a settlement built by Christopher Columbus, is located near Puerto Plata. In April 1563, the Spanish settlement became notorious when the English slave trader Sir John Hawkinsbrought 400 people he had abducted from Sierra Leone. Hawkins traded his victims with the Spanish for pearls, hides, sugar and some gold. This was the start of British involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. During the 1822–44 Haitian occupation it was officially designated as Port-de-Plate.

• Puerto Plata (city)
• Sosúa
• Playa Dorada
• Cabarete

//Samaná Province">Samaná

//Samaná (town)">Samaná (town)

Samana is a small town on the island that is a popular destination for tourists mainly because of whale season. Every year in the spring, many whales arrive in the Samana bay. Tourists come from all over the world to board ships and whale watch. This is a large source of income to a town that otherwise would have an economy mainly driven by fishing.

• Las Terrenas

//La Vega Province">La Vega

• La Vega (city)
• Constanza
• Jarabacoa

//María Trinidad Sánchez Province">María Trinidad Sánchez

• Nagua
• Río San Juan

//Monte Cristi Province">Montecristi

South Region

//Baní">Baní

//Barahona (city)">Barahona (city)

//Pedernales, Pedernales">Pedernales

//Azua (city)">Azua (city)

References

• Niko and the Way to the Stars
• Niko Belic
• Niko Bellić
• Niko Bessinger
• Niko Bolas
• Niko Bungert
• Nikodemow
• Nikodem Poplawski
• Nikodem Popławski
• Nikodem Sulik
• Nikodemów
• Nikodim Milas
• Nikodim Milaš
• Nikodim (Rotov)
• Nikodim Tsarknias
• Nikodine
• Niko (disambiguation)
• Nikodym
• Nikodym set
• Niko Etxart
• Nik og jay
• Niko Gkionis
• Niko Grafenauer
• Nikoi
• Niko I Dadiani