Dominican Republic authorizes arrival of 800 new flights as tourists rerouted after ‘Melissa’
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Dominican Republic has allowed 800 new flights to arrive to accommodate a surge in tourists who originally planned to vacation in Jamaica and other nearby islands but were rerouted after the earthquake. Hurricane Melissa.
The flights, a combination of regular and charter flights, have been approved as the Caribbean nation prepares for its peak tourist season, industry officials said on Wednesday.
“This will have a positive impact on hotel occupancy in the Dominican Republic, and Dominican hotels have the capacity to accommodate this influx,” said Nairobi Santos, spokesman for the country’s Hotels and Tourism Association.
She said the additional flights will occur over eight months, noting that an average occupancy rate of more than 95% is projected for the holiday season.
“We allowed 800 flights at a time because all tourism to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic will benefit from that,” Héctor Porcella, chairman of the country’s Civil Aviation Board, told reporters this week.
Complaining about the disaster caused by the Category 5 storm in the Northern Caribbean last month, Kendi stated that the impact was especially harsh in Jamaica and the Bahamas. Cuba and Haiti.
The number of tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic last month increased to more than 672,000, from more than 575,600 in September. Officials say they expect that number to increase this month, although data is not yet available.
The Dominican Republic has so far welcomed more than 8 million visitors from January to October.
Hotel occupancy rates rose from 58% in September to 63% last month, according to Dominican Central Bank statistics.
Tourism is the cornerstone of the Dominican Republic’s economy, generating nearly $11 million in revenue last year.
As the Dominican Republic prepares for an above-normal influx of visitors, Jamaica is recovering from the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in the western part of the island on October 28.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said there had been a high number of flight cancellations and some major hotels did not expect to reopen until mid or late 2026.
But Bartlett said earlier this week that he expected about 60% of hotel rooms to be available by mid-December.
He also noted that cruise ships have visited Jamaica since the storm, bringing about 32,000 passengers so far, and that number is expected to double next week.
Melissa devastated the western region of Jamaica, with 76% of the power grid operational as of Wednesday, nearly a month after the storm hit, said Alvin Gayle, director of the island’s emergency management office.
Meanwhile, 82% of customers had water available, he added.
Gayle said 45 people died in the storm and 16 people are still missing.
Health Minister Christopher Tufton said 11 more people have died of suspected or confirmed leptospirosis in Jamaica, and a total of 91 suspected cases have been reported.
Melissa too Killed at least 43 people near HaitiWidespread flooding was reported in the southwestern part of the country.
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Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
