Haiti-bound aid workers boost Dominican economy

Haiti-bound aid workers boost Dominican economy

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic's struggling tourism sector is getting a boost from aid workers passing through on their way to neighboring Haiti.
Haydee Kuret is president of a Dominican hotel association. She says hotels in Santo Domingo have been full since an earthquake devastated Haiti's capital on Jan. 12.
The association said Monday that hotel occupancy in the city is up 18 percent compared with the first three months of last year.
The country also hosted more flights following the quake to accommodate travelers trying to work around bottlenecks at Haiti's main airport.
Kuret said reservations decreased 3.4 percent in 2009 because of the global economic downturn.