The small Caribbean island country of Dominica is reporting strong tourism growth after the 2022 outbreak, receiving a total of 60,704 visitors who stayed overnight on land last year, an increase of 307.7 percent over the 14,888 visitors the country received. in 2021.
Officials at Discover Dominica, the island nation’s tourism bureau, say the country is projecting “even stronger growth in 2023” following positive developments including increased post-pandemic travel demand, relaxed COVID protocols from Dominica and the launch of the island’s first direct flights from the US.
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Travelers were compelled to visit Dominica as the boutique travel destination welcomed a new luxury resort, Coulibri Ridge, while also drawing “a record number of attendees” at its World Creole Music Festival in October. Since the pandemic, the island has experienced great interest among new and repeat visitors.
“We are delighted to see the return of travel,” said Colin Piper, CEO of Discover Dominica. “We are still working to recover as we are not back to pre-pandemic numbers yet, but we are in a good place heading into 2023 with strong bookings through the winter travel season.”
Pre-arrival testing for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers arriving in Dominica has been removed, as has arrival testing for symptomatic travelers.
In December, Discover Dominica officials celebrated the first anniversary of American Airlines nonstop service to Dominica from Miami International Airport, the first nonstop flights to the country from the US.
As of November, American Airlines service contributed 33 percent of all passenger capacity to the island. The service will continue through 2023 “with changes to the schedule and frequency,” Discover Dominica officials said.
“The addition of the American Airlines flight had a significant impact on our tourist arrivals,” added Piper. “It has never been faster or easier for American visitors to travel to and from Dominica. It is also a valuable addition to the diaspora community.”
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Source: news.google.com