The Dominican Republic has shattered its tourism records, officially receiving 10,284,251 visitors in the first 11 months of this year, virtually guaranteeing a historic, record-breaking close for 2025 with projections exceeding 11 million, the Ministry of Tourism announces.
Minister of Tourism David Collado announced the positive numbers on Monday, 1 December 2025 in the capital, highlighting the sustained and robust growth of the nation’s key industry. “These arrivals, both by air and sea, mark another record: 10,284,251 visitors in eleven months. We did it again,” stated Minister Collado.
The total number of visitors recorded between January and November represents a massive 52% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, a 13% jump over 2023, and a 3.1% rise compared to last year.
Breakdown of arrivals
The report details strong performance across both major arrival channels:
Air arriving tourists: The country received 7,884,421 tourists by air, marking a 35% growth from 2019, 10% from 2023, and 3% year-over-year from 2024.
Cruise passengers: A total of 2,399,830 cruise passengers arrived, registering an astounding 153% increase compared to 2019, 25% over 2023, and 3.4% compared to last year.
Collado noted there were 1,000,484 total visitors in November alone. This single-month figure reflects a 75% growth compared to 2019, 16% over 2023, and 13.5% compared to November 2024, with 715,916 arrivals by air and 284,568 by sea.
The majority of visitors originate from the United States (39%), Canada (19%), Colombia and Argentina (6% each), Puerto Rico, Mexico and Germany (3% each).
Punta Cana continues to be the primary gateway, receiving 62% of all tourists during the January-November period, followed by Las Américas International Airport (22%), Cibao International Airport (10%), Puerto Plata (4%), and La Romana with 1%, among others.
The Dominican Republic was already on the way to set a new annual visitation record, but the scope of the record will be greater given that the DR is receiving thousands of tourists that had booked vacations in nearby Jamaica, impacted by Hurricane Melissa in early November 2025.
The Dominican Republic aviation authorities have authorized the arrival of 800 regular and charter flights to accommodate a surge in tourists who had planned to vacation in Jamaica and other nearby islands, but were rerouted following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa. In Jamaica, the Montego Bay tourist area was one of the most damaged.
“This will have a positive impact on hotel occupancy in the Dominican Republic, and Dominican hotels have the capacity to receive that influx,” said Nairobi Santos, spokesperson for the country’s Association of Hotels and Tourism. She said the additional flights will occur over eight months, noting that an average occupancy rate of more than 95% is projected for the holiday season.
“We authorized 800 flights in one fell swoop because all that tourism that was going to Jamaica, the Dominican Republic will benefit,” Héctor Porcella, president of the country’s Civil Aviation Board, told reporters this week. He lamented the disaster that the Category-5 storm unleashed in the western Caribbean last month, noting that the impact was especially hard in Jamaica.
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Ministry of Tourism
Jamaica Gleaner
2 December 2025