President Luis Abinader has squarely attributed the Dominican Republic’s unprecedented success in tourism to “good policies” surrounding air connectivity, calling it a “decisive factor” in the nation’s international promotion.
Speaking at his weekly press meeting, LA Semanal con la Prensa from Punta Cana on 10 November 2025, Abinader underscored the inseparable link between air access and sustained growth in the sector. “You can do the greatest tourism promotion in the world, but if it is not accompanied by air connectivity, growth cannot be sustained,” he stressed.
Abinader was in Punta Cana to participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) World Air Services Negotiation Conference (ICAN 2025) in Punta Cana.
Separately, during his presentation for the weekly press conference, the President highlighted a five-year strategy of liberalization that has been actively implemented to attract new airlines, open up more destinations, and solidify the Dominican Republic’s position as a regional air hub.
This policy is projected to drive passenger traffic to a staggering 25.8 million by 2030.
The nation has already received over 11 million visitors by the close of 2024, a figure equivalent to 103.7% of the Dominican population.
The Dominican Republic leads international connectivity growth in Latin America and the Caribbean, posting a 49% increase since 2019, surpassed only by Mexico in the region.
The Abinader administration continues to leverage international forums to expand its aerial network. Abinader pointed to the ongoing presence of over 600 delegates and negotiators from around 90 countries participating in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) World Air Services Negotiation Conference (ICAN 2025) in Punta Cana.
During the ICAN event, the nation sought to renew and update bilateral agreements to expand international routes, further consolidating the present tourism success.
In line with the open-skies policy, the Dominican Republic announced signing new Air Services Agreements (ASA) with Paraguay, El Salvador, and Greece, alongside Memoranda of Understanding with Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. These bilateral treaties establish the legal framework for international passenger and cargo traffic operations.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
La Semanal 10 November 2025
18 November 2025