German tourism has fallen more than 50%

[laurapasinifan]

Originally Posted by bonao1969

I used to tell all my friends here in the states to go to DR1 to read about my second favorite country, in English, but now I don't tell anybody because of the local news about how corrupt the DR is. Everyday there are more stories about government officials getting away with more and more crimes and not called on them.

It seems to me that the first step in the process of fixing the corruption is to acknowledge it. And the the fact that the papers are printing that people are being brought to task for these crimes, shows progress. Before it happened, but few people knew about it. Now it seems that more and more corruption is being exposed, and flushed out. That is good...although from the surface it might seem like it is getting worse.

bob

[gini]

Some interesting statistics. It's a compilation from statistics you can find here : Banco Central de la República Dominicana




Some remarks :

The 2007 estimation is based upon figures from the first three months and assuming that in 2006, the first three months represented 29.55 percent of the total...

The big decrease in German tourists occured in 2001/2002 ! Why ???

Is it possible that Canadian tourists will double this year ? and surpass those coming from USA ??? Or did I make a mistake somewhere ???

My opinion : if those figures are correct, some differences between origin countries are mainly explainable by the commercial politic of major Tour Operators ! Not possible otherwise !!

[KeithF]

Originally Posted by qgrande

Yes, Europeans generally don't tip as generous as North-Americans, (and I frankly don't see a difference between continental Europeans and British or Irish on this one. There's some unhealthy German-bashing going on in this thread).

I agree...

Originally Posted by qgrande

And remember that, yes, Europeans (and that definitely includes the Brits) in certain parts of the country are of the extremely cheap and uninterested variety.

I agree, as are North Americans

Originally Posted by amparocorp

having spent 20 years making a living from tourists in key west FL and depending on tips for a good part of my income it was always a body blow when my next customers were europeans. i used to think it was because they were cheap, rude, or uneducated to the practice. i have come to realize it is because as a group they don't have any money. they are taxed to death at home. free tuition, free medical care, outstanding prisons, europe has become socialist. very few rock and roll stars from the UK keep their money there, they set up US corporations to avoid getting taxed. i took a friend of mine from KW to SD once for 5 days, he owns a small auto paint and body shop, he brought 7000 dollars cash in a pants pocket for spending money. in europe there are very few small businessmen making the kind of money we see in the US because of taxes................and those that work for someone else may have a great lifestyle, 32 hour work week, pension, medical, tuition, 5 paid weeks vacation, etc. they don't get really big salaries...........

Indeed, why go for unhealthy German bashing when you can go for bashing all of Europe!!????

I will be stunned if I pay more tax than someone earning the same in the US because I live in a 'tax haven'. But I'm still a crap tipper. I'm uncomfortable tipping, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I tend to just add 10% because it's easier that way. It's not about having or not having money it's about culture. Most people I know are the same. They do however, regularly give to charity etc. Add to that the weakness of the Dollar to the Pound & Euro and saying we're skint is both patronising and incorrect. The UK largely avoided the recessions that both the US and large amounts of Europe have experienced in the last decade.

If we're going to do some wild generalisations...

We noticed that the 'loudest' and most vexatious tourists are almost always Americans. But when we were in Cuba, due to the lack of Americans, we noticed that the Canadians 'stepped up to the plate' to ensure the North Americans generally remained the loudest!

Now I've posted that, are there any nationalities of tourists that we've not generalised and abused?

Oh yes, Domincans! Let me just say, when they go to resorts at Easter and other holidays... [continued ad nausium]

[aegap]

The big decrease in German tourists occured in 2001/2002 ! Why ???

Economic slowdown: The economy from 1995 'til Merkel came in wasn't very good - near stagflation multiple times.


See what I mean: the lost of German tourists is more than TWICE made up by the gain in American tourists!

I'd rather the US, with its two hundred million plus additional citizens ..their geographical nearness ..their significantly higher income, ..and, as a general rule, their pushing for a higher standard, then I do the Germans that have stopped coming..
The British number more than doubles!

The Spaniard number pretty much doubled!

The Canadian number pretty much tripled! (by itself, the gain in Canadian tourist more than makes up for the lost in German tourists)


French tourist more than double too, so I'd say the German question has more too do with German's economic problems during the preceding ~10 years more than anything..

P.S. the German numbers in Spain show a fairly similar pattern.

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by gjsuk

Sorry mate but have a look at the ABTA travel trends report (2005 is the last year available...2006 data not yet processed...you'll have to google it, I have a copy but it's too big to attach here) as it directly contradicts your statement

The DR is most certainly NOT on UK travellers "radar screens", in fact the DR does NOT even merit a mention anywhere in the report. A damning indictment indeed.

I imagine that you have seen the stats now, posted by Gini,
German tourism has fallen more than 50%
corroborating what KeithF said, and contradicting your statement above.

[aegap]

ABTA'S HOLIDAY TRENDS FOR 2006
The Association of British Travel agents (ABTA) members have cited Dominican Republic as being 'Hot for 2005' and reported a 9% growth in bookings for the island this year.
Frances Tuke, PR Manager, ABTA says "The Dominican Republic has been a fantastic introduction to the Caribbean for many, who would otherwise consider the region just too expensive. The all-inclusive packages in particular have been a massive hit for families who know they have to stick to a budget as everything is paid for upfront, but the destination also offers so much more for the British holidaymaker. Not only are there fantastic beaches and water sports on offer, but if you want to get away from the crowds, there is breathtaking scenery in the form of rainforests, mountains and waterfalls. The cities also offer a vibrant culture that has a Spanish colonial past."
ABTA also report a growth in luxury and designer holidays with the Caribbean continuing to be a popular destination. Dominican Republic native and Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta has designed the Villas of Casa De Campo, one of the most luxurious resorts of the Caribbean, which is located in La Romana on the Dominican Republic's south coast. Its also a favorite with well known UK psychiatrist and broadcaster Dr Raj Persaud who recently (Sunday Times May 05) said that with "two small children we try to make everything as stress-free as possible, it's (Casa de Campo) not well known here but very popular with Americans which is a good thing - Americans demand a certain level of service".
The Caribbean attracts over three quarters of a million UK visitors a year. The top five Caribbean countries for UK visitors are Barbados, Dominican Republic, Cancun in Mexico, Jamaica, and Cuba.

Dominican Republic Travel News - August 16, 2005

[gini]

Originally Posted by gini

The 2007 estimation is based upon figures from the first three months and assuming that in 2006, the first three months represented 29.55 percent of the total...

This estimation is an average !! There are enormous differences between countries and, looking figures month/month, it seems that Canadians like the first 3 months ! So my annual estimation for 2007 is not valid for them and for some other nationalities. Please, don't pay attention to this red column

[aegap]

I completely ignored it and focused on a 1999 vs. 2006 comparison, period within which the number of American tourists per year more than doubled. Period within which the gain in American tourist more than twice compensated for the lost in German tourists.

[amparocorp]

on a visit to Cuba 15 years ago i came upon a group of 5 italians haggling with 2 hookers about price. they wanted 25 dollars each. the italians wanted to pay 15. i interupted and told the young ladies i was from the US and wanted to see the sights of havana. they immediately joined me, one on each arm, without talk of money. the faces on the italians were priceless.

[Abuela]

Originally Posted by batich

For most of those american tourists going to DR is the only opportunity to have sex.

Germans are allowed to have plenty of sex in their country so they can look beyond this basic instinct.

Clarification Batich..Most Americans come for the beautiful scenery,weather and wonderful people not for sex .Most of us have sex with each other no need to buy it. You may be surprised to learn there are actual happy couples enjoying sex in the US and the DR .FYI.. BTW..We call it marriage.