Omicron had a lulling effect primarily on flights of sun-seeking tourists from Canada. Nevertheless, Tourism Minister David Collado is optimistic the country will surpass the arrival of seven million tourists in 2022, a new record. Despite Omicron and the cold front, the minister says travel is on pace to reach the record number.
Collado reported that January 2022 statistics confirm the Dominican Republic continues to lead in tourist arrivals in the Caribbean.
Despite the cancellations of flights from the United States to the Dominican Republic due to the snowstorms that have been affecting the East Coast of the United States, travel in January reached 530,956 non-resident arrivals (129% more than in 2021). Of the total 82% were foreigners.
Punta Cana International Airport received 55% of total non-resident arrivals during January 2022. The airports of Las Americas, Santiago and La Romana presented numbers of arrivals all above the January 2021 figures.
60% of tourists stayed in hotels, with an average stay of 11 days.
Preliminary estimates from the Ministry of Tourism suggest that total inbound commercial flights to the Dominican Republic in January 2022 were 5,120 flights on 149 different airlines from 169 different airports.
The Ministry of Tourism reports that in January 2022, nine out of 10 hotel rooms were in operation, and of these, 73% were occupied. Guests were 89% of foreign origin. Hotel occupancy in the Dominican Republic has returned to the levels pre-pandemic years.
In the first month of 2022, 165,516 maritime arrivals were received, of which 1,379 were ferry passengers and 75,022 crew members.
According to the Central Bank statistics, in 2021, 5,590,124 air arrivals came. The airports of arrival were:
Punta Cana: 2,244,847
Santo Domingo: 1,948,363
Santiago: 957,117
Puerto Plata 198,209
La Romana 182,775
La Isabela, Santo Domingo: 45,608
Samana: 13,205
Read more in Spanish:
El Caribe
Central Bank
Civil Aviation Board (JAC)
8 February 2022