Asonahores: MICE travelers spend triple what the traditional tourist does

Asonahores put the figure on the table and it deserves a careful read: visitors who come to the Dominican Republic for a congress, a convention or a trade fair spend three times more than the traditional sun and beach tourist. The gap is not in the airfare or the room, which are similar. It is in everything around the event, from catering to transport, technology and the working dinners that stretch beyond the hotel.

That is where the business sits. The MICE visitor does not stop at the all inclusive, he spreads his spending across the city and the province hosting him, which ties directly to what Arecoa reports about this segment's behavior. For the treasury, every congress attendee leaves VAT, fees and restaurant consumption that the beach tourist never touches.

The takeaway for the industry is straightforward. The Dominican Republic has hotel infrastructure, air connectivity and venues to compete for that market without relying only on Punta Cana. Santo Domingo, Santiago and Puerto Plata have room to capture events that today go to Cancun or Panama. The opportunity is to build serious MICE product in the provinces and for the state to back it with promotion. That is where hard currency and formal jobs come from.