Tourism Minister David Collado touts 2024 is shaping up to be the best year ever for tourism arrivals in the Dominican Republic.
Collado announced the country has hosted a record 4,178,683 visitors in the first four months of the year. The estimate is for the year to end with more than 11 million visitors. This will be more than the record-setting mark of 10 million tourists surpassed in 2023.
Tourism Minister Collado, in his department’s monthly press conference, when reporting on inbound travel for January to April 2024, said 3,039,302 tourists came by air, which represents a growth of 10% compared to the same period in 2023, and 24% when compared to 2019 and 30% when compared to the previous 2018.
Regarding cruise passengers, Collado reported that in the first four months of 2024, the country received 1,139,381 visitors by sea, an increase of 15% compared to 2023, 173% compared to 2022 and 234% compared to the previous 2019. The difference is in the opening of the new Taino Bay cruise ship port, the second in Puerto Plata on the north coast.
“These arrivals give 4,178,683 visitors in the first four months of this year; another record,” celebrated the Minister of Tourism.
The arrival of 4,178,683 visitors is a growth of 12% compared to the same period in 2023, 52% compared to 2022 and 43% compared to 2019.
Collado said that in April alone the country received 704,740 tourists by air, which represents a growth of 3% compared to the same month in 2023, 12% compared to 2022 and 20% compared to 2019.
In April, the arrival of cruise passengers was 248,459, which means a growth of 37% compared to the same month in 2023, 175% compared to 2022 and 234% compared to 2019.
The three countries that contributed the most visitors in April were the United States with 53%, Canada with 18% and Colombia with 3%. Low cost airfares with Colombia have pushed that South American country to be a leading provider of tourists.
Read more in Spanish:
Presidency
Ministry of Tourism
Diario Libre
28 May 2024