Minister of Tourism David Collado was at the Punta Cana International Airport on Sunday, 29 December 2024 to receive the Dominican Republic’s tourist number 11 million. The new annual record in tourist arrivals consolidates the country’s position as regional leader in tourism, the Ministry of Tourism reports.
Tourism Minister David Collado welcomed the milestone visitor, Bruce Pirt, in a vibrant ceremony at Punta Cana International Airport. Pirt. Pirt arrived with his wife Kathryn and two daughters, Melissa and Anna, on an Air Transat flight from Canada.
Pirt, clearly surprised and delighted, described the Dominican Republic as a “wonderful country,” recalling it as the destination where he and his wife celebrated their wedding 20 years ago. He was returning to commemorate their anniversary with his family.
Frank Rainieri, founder and president of the board of directors of the Grupo Puntacana, was also present at the airport and stressed the milestone is a reason for all to celebrate. He said the new country objective is to achieve 15 million visitors and add another 20,000 to 25,000 new hotel rooms.
Minister Collado hailed the achievement, emphasizing the broader economic significance of the milestone, noting that the tourism sector is a key driver of the country’s economy. “What does this mean for our economy? It means 949,000 jobs, both direct and indirect, are projected for 2024 numbers. It represents US$26 billion in GDP, making tourism nearly 20% of our national output,” Collado explained.
In addition, he highlighted that the sector is contributing approximately RD$130 billion in tax revenue to the government.
This year’s achievement comes just one year after the country reached the 10-million tourist mark, a long-held aspiration within the tourism industry, further underscoring the Dominican Republic’s growing appeal as a global travel destination.
As 2024 comes to a close with more than 11 million visitors, the Ministry of Tourism says there has been an increase in visitors from Spain, Germany, and Italy, alongside with more from the United States and Canada. Other countries that provide long-distance tourists to the Dominican market are Poland and Switzerland, as well as Argentina and Brazil in South America.
In November 2024, according to the statistics from the Ministry of Tourism, there was a significant increase, year over year, of arrivals, both Dominican and foreign, indicating sustained growth in the sector.
Foreign-born tourism reached 7.6 million in 2024. Dominicans who reside overseas are considered to be tourists when they return to their homeland, making up the difference in the tourist visitation numbers for the year.
In November alone, 667,000 foreigners came to the country on airplanes, pushing the overall numbers closer and closer to a new record for arrivals.
Considering that the “average” tourist contributes over US$166.76 to the economy during their average stay of 8.06 days, it is easy to see why tourism is one of the pillars of the Dominican economy.
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Ministry of Tourism
Ministry of Tourism
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
7 January 2024