Over the first six months of the year, air travel reached 3,575,298 visitors. That is 134,493 more travelers than from January to June 2018.
The 3.9% increase would have been greater, if not for the fact that travel in June stayed practically at the same level as in 2018, according to the monthly Central Bank travel statistics bulletin. Air travel in June 2019 was 587,143 non-resident visitors by air, for an increase of 336 passengers (0.1%) compared to June 2018.
In the total of arrivals, 86.4% are foreign tourists. There was a 2.5% increase in the pace of growth of foreign tourists during the first six months of the year. Meanwhile, non-resident Dominican travel was up 14.1%, most likely reflecting the boom in the US economy.
64% of visitors came from North America, 20.6% from Europe, 11.5% from South America, 3.6% from Central America and the Caribbean. There were declines in travel from the United Kingdom (-13,443), Germany (-12,321), France (-6,676), and Sweden (-4,652) among others. Travel from South America was also down compared to last year. There was a decline of 21,793 passengers, or 5.8% less, from South America. The biggest drop in air arrivals from South America were from Argentina (-19,667), Venezuela (-10,213), Brazil (-2,798) and Uruguay (-1,594). There were increases in travel from Colombia (4,622), Chile (4,578), Bolivia (1,821), Peru (1,118) and Ecuador (500).
67.2% of all air arrivals landed at Punta Cana International Airport or around 2,077,193 passengers. Las Americas (15.8%), and Puerto Plata (8%) followed in numbers of arrivals and departures.
La Romana International Airport had a strong first half of the year. Central Bank statistics indicate that 44,542 more tourists arrived, for an 87.9% increase this first half of the year compared to the same period in 2018.
94.3% of arrivals said they stayed at hotels. 59.2% of those surveyed by the Central Bank said they were of ages 21 to 49.
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Central Bank
23 July 2019