In the first nine months of this year 2.8 million non-resident foreigners arrived in the country, for a 4.24% growth, or 115,657 additional visitors compared to the same time last year, when the total was 2.7 million. This growth is attributed to publicity campaigns by the private sector and the Ministry of Tourism promoting the country as a tourist destination in the principal market areas, according to a Central Bank report on the flow of tourists between January and September.
The total non-resident (Dominican and foreign) passenger arrivals grew by 3.52% during January-September this year compared to last year. It went from 3.1 million to 3.2 million, representing an additional growth of 115,469 over the year before. According to the report, tourist arrivals in September totaled 239,706, for a year-on-year growth of 9.31%, representing 20,414 additional tourists.
This growth is explained by the non-resident foreigner segment, which in absolute terms provided 19,658 more visitors, for a 10.9% increase over the month before. The number of residents going overseas grew by 1.51%, providing 5,214 additional passengers between January and September 2011.
The arrival of many more tourists from Russia and South America has compensated for the loss of over 10,000 European tourists in this period.