February showed a significant decline in the visit of non-resident Dominicans. Travel of these was down 6% compared to February 2016. Travel by this group declined even more in March, down 13.23%.
In a press conference in March, Governor of the Central Bank Hector Valdez Albizu blamed the Trump Effect for the decline in Dominican expat travelers. He said many have chosen not to leave the US because they are concerned they may have problems re-entering.
Dominicans living abroad represent on average 10% of travelers to the Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile, Central Bank statistics say that air arrivals for the first quarter, including 1,495,249 foreign tourists, were 1,665,607, up 4.78% for the period.
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