The Dominican Republic’s tourism sector continues to set new records in visitors by air and sea. Tourism Minister David Collado says that 3,710,374 visitors arrived during the first quarter of 2026. Collado reported the figures during a press conference in Santo Domingo, noting that the country has now surpassed the 1.3 million monthly visitor mark for five consecutive months. The country is on a path to set a new record for arrivals in 2026.
The 3,710,374 arrivals recorded from January through March 2026 represent a significant upward trend compared to previous years. The Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) highlighted the following growth benchmarks for the quarter:
• 10.8% increase compared to 2025
• 14.8% increase compared to 2024
• 28.7% increase compared to 2023
• 64.1% increase compared to 2019 (pre-pandemic baseline)
Of the total quarterly visitors, 2,603,777 arrived by air, while 1,106,597 arrived via cruise ships.
March 2026 breakdown
In March alone, the country received 1,305,866 visitors, a record for the month. This total is comprised of:
• 953,758 air arrivals: An increase of 16.3% over March 2025 and 41.7% over March 2019.
• 352,108 cruise passengers: A rise of 8.1% over March 2025 and a staggering 213.7% increase compared to March 2019.
Minister Collado emphasized that the hotel occupancy rate for the month exceeded 86%, while tourist satisfaction remained high, averaging 4.5 out of 5 in internal metrics.
Key markets and port entry
The United States remains the primary source market for the Dominican Republic, accounting for 45% of all visitors in March. Other significant contributors were: Canada 23%, Argentina 5%, Colombia 4%, Germany, France, UK and Spain each contributed 2%, Mexico 2% and Peru 1%.
Punta Cana International (PUJ) is the busiest gateway, handling 53% of all arrivals. It was followed by Las Américas International (SDQ) in Santo Domingo with 25%, and Cibao International (STI) in Santiago with 10%. Puerto Plata accounted for 5%, while La Romana and La Isabela (Santo Domingo) each handled 3%, and Samaná received 1%.
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Noticias SIN
14 April 2026