The Dominican Republic has had a record-breaking year in tourism, welcoming over 11 million visitors in 2024, Tourism Minister David Collado announced on Wednesday, 15 January 2025.
The numbers show 8,535,742 air arrivals and 2,656,305 cruise passengers, bringing the total to a historic 11,192,047 visitors for 2024.
“These results are more than just numbers; they confirm our position as a leading global tourism destination,” said Minister Collado.
Air arrivals surged by 32% compared to pre-Covid year 2019, 19% compared to 2022, and 6% compared to 2023. Similarly, cruise arrivals experienced a significant increase of 141% compared to 2019, 103% compared to 2022, and 18% compared to 2023.
The Dominican Republic’s continues strong in key markets, with the United States accounting for 46% of total arrivals, followed by Canada (17%), Colombia (5%), Argentina (4%), and Puerto Rico (3%).
Punta Cana International Airport remained the top entry point, receiving 59% of all air arrivals, followed by Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo (24%), Cibao International Airport in Santiago (11%), Gregorio Luperón International Airport in Puerto Plata (5%), and La Romana International Airport (1%).
Minister Collado expressed optimism for continued growth in the tourism sector, forecasting that the Dominican Republic will break even more records in 2025. New developments, such as the recently signed Open Skies agreement with the United States, the strong competition Dominican-based airline Arajet is expected to bring improving fares for passengers to and from US airports, and increased investment in cruise ship ports are expected to continue to drive upwards the number of visitors to the Dominican Republic. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the DR is second only to Mexico in travel numbers.
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Presidency
21 January 2025