President of the Dominican Civil Aviation Board Luis Rodriguez Ariza reported today from Santo Domingo that the number of passengers traveling to the Dominican Republic during January and February increased by 5% in comparison to the same time period in 2010. This is very encouraging news especially given general concerns regarding the world economy. The increase in passengers is across the spectrum and not just restricted to the tourism sector. Some notable increases have been as a direct result also of instability in popular European destinations such as Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey. Despite the downturn in the global economy, there are also encouraging signs of people looking to buy property or real estate and relocate to popular areas within the Dominican Republic such as Punta Cana, Bavaro and Cap Cana whilst the north coast is also seen as a popular place to relocate to where prices are a little cheaper, more notably in Puerto Plata, Sosua, Cabarete and Cabrera.