Over the first eight months of the year, a total of 3,261,177 tourists have visited the DR. This is 7.25% more than over the same period last year, or 220,526 more foreign travelers. Adding in non-resident Dominicans who have visited this summer, the percentage of non-resident travel to the Dominican Republic in August is up by 7.69% compared to last year.
The Central Bank Statistics Department attributes the growth in travel to successful promotion by the Ministry of Tourism and the private sector.
Interestingly, resident travel is also up, a lesser 3.58%, nevertheless. A total of 11,230 passengers traveled abroad, says the Central Bank.
So far this year, travel to the Dominican Republic is up 6.91%, with 3,586,173 using local airports, or 231,756 more than during the same period last year.
2012 is expected to be a record year for travel to the Dominican Republic.
The DR’s main source markets are the United States and Canada that together contribute 57.92% of all travelers to the country. Countries showing increases in number of arrivals so far this year are the United States (134,532+), Russia (31,310+), Canada (25,004+), Venezuela (13,784+), France (7,405+), Brazil (7,013+), Argentina (6,239+) and Chile (5,338+).
Over the first eight months of the year, the airport most used by arrivals was Punta Cana International with 1,743,630 arrivals, or 61.53% of all foreigners, including 144,780 additional arrivals this year. Las Americas International (Santo Domingo) received 571,311 arrivals, 20.16% of all arrivals.