November has set a new record in non-resident air arrivals with 519,349. November total arrivals are 12% higher than November 2019 and 7% above November 2018, the previous record year.
Tourism Minister David Collado says 4,263,259 tourists have traveled here from January to November 2021, evidence of the recovery of the industry. The numbers for 2021 are 73% of the non-resident arrivals for January to Novemer 2019. Collado forecast more records will be sent by the end of the year.
Non-resident arrivals in 2021 were 82% foreigners (424,560 non-residents who were not born in the Dominican Republic) and the remaining 18% Dominicans (94,790 non-residents who were born in the Dominican Republic).
The recovery of tourism was first driven in the beginning of 2021 by Dominican expats, but gradually with the reopening of hotels and tourist activities, the tourists responded in droves.
Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) continues to lead among ports of entry with 53% of total non-resident arrivals during November 2021. PUJ arrivals are 16% above November 2019 levels.
The Dominican full recovery still depends on the dismantling of travel restrictions abroad. The arrival of foreign residents from Canada went from less than 1,000 passengers before July 2021, to more than 40,000 tourists in November 2021. Russians are coming, with more than 47,000 tourists. More than 22,000 tourists have arrived from Germany.
The Ministry of Tourism points out the notable mix in visitor nationalities. In the summer of this year, tourists (non-resident foreigners) residing in the United States accounted for 70% of tourists entering the Dominican Republic. But by November 2021, US tourists were only 39% of total non-resident arrivals. This decrease is explained by the increase in tourists residing in Russia (whose market share went from 1% to 11%), Canada (whose market share went from 1% to 10%), and arrivals from European countries. 60% of tourists came from three different countries (United States 39%, Canada 11% and Russia 10%). The recent surge in cases abroad could impact on travel to the Dominican Republic, nevertheless.
The average stay of foreign tourists was nine nights, because of the short stay by Americans. On the other hand, Dominican expats recorded stays of 16 days on average, European tourists average 10 nights.
The Ministry of Tourism reports that tourists from the United States made up 23% of arrivals. Of these, 61% stayed in hotels and 53% arrived via Punta Cana International Airport.
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Ministry of Tourism
8 December 2021