Travel to the DR from January to April 2010 is only 41,319 tourists short of the peak 2008 level. Stats for tourist arrivals from January to April 2010 were 1,553,393, a 2.3% increase over the 1,518,210 tourist arrivals for the same period in 2009, or 35,183 non-resident travelers. These numbers include 1,380,759 foreign tourists and 172,634 non-resident Dominicans. They reflect the drop in traffic from Europe, due to the Icelandic volcano eruption crisis at the end of April. South America continues to send more travelers, with arrivals coming from Argentina, Puerto Rico, Chile, Brazil and Venezuela.
Punta Cana International Airport is still the main airport for air arrivals, with 58.33% of the tourists who visited during the first quarter of the year coming through that airport, or 805,323 tourists. Las Americas (Santo Domingo) was second with 17.62%, followed by Puerto Plata with 13.78%, La Romana with 4.15%. Together, Cibao, La Isabela and Catey in Samana reported 6.12%.
The Central Bank reports that 63.27% of travelers to the DR are 21 to 49 years old, 53.61% are women.