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The Dominican Republic has greenlighted an additional 800 flights to accommodate the sudden influx of tourists from Jamaica and other Caribbean destinations in the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s devastation.
Industry officials on Wednesday confirmed that these regular and charter flights were approved as the country prepares for its peak tourist season. The move is basically aimed at managing the surge of visitors planning holidays elsewhere in the region.
“This will have a positive impact on hotel occupancy in the Dominican Republic and Dominican hotels have the potential to receive that influx,” said Nairobi Santos, spokesperson for the country’s Association of Hotels and Tourism.
He said the additional flights would take place over eight months, noting that the average occupancy rate for the holiday season is projected to exceed 95%.
“We authorized 800 flights in one fell swoop because all that was going to tourism JamaicaThe Dominican Republic will benefit,” Hector Porcella, president of the country’s civil aviation board, told reporters this week.
He expressed grief over the disaster caused by the Category 5 typhoon in the North Caribbean last month, noting that the impact was particularly acute in Jamaica Bahamas, Cuba And haiti,
The number of tourist arrivals to the Dominican Republic rose to more than 672,000 last month, compared to 575,600 in September. Officials say they expect that number to rise this month, although data is not yet available.
The Dominican Republic has welcomed more than 8 million visitors so far from January to October.
Hotel occupancy rates rose from 58% in September to 63% last month, according to Dominican Central Bank data.
Tourism is a cornerstone of the Dominican Republic’s economy, generating approximately $11 million last year.
As the Dominican Republic prepares for a larger-than-usual influx of visitors, Jamaica is struggling to recover from Hurricane Melissa, which struck the western part of the island on October 28.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said many flights have been cancelled, and some major hotels have said they do not expect to reopen until mid or late 2026.
But Bartlett said earlier this week that he expects about 60% of hotel rooms to be available by mid-December.
He also said cruise ships that have visited Jamaica since the storm have brought about 32,000 passengers so far, with that number expected to double next week.
Melissa devastated Jamaica’s western region, with 76% of the power grid back up by Wednesday, nearly a month after the storm struck, said Alvin Gale, director of the island’s emergency management office.
He said that meanwhile 82% customers got water.
Gayle said 45 people died in the storm, while 16 others are still missing.
Health Minister Christopher Tufton said eleven more people in Jamaica have died from suspected or confirmed leptospirosis, bringing the total to 91 suspected cases.
Melissa also killed at least 43 people nearby haitiWhere large-scale floods were reported in the south-west region of the country.