Tourism in all its forms is the major moneymaker for the Dominican Republic. And it appears that 2024 will be another record year. So far, between January and July very close to seven million people have visited the country.
Government officials also note that from August 2020 to July 2024, almost 32 million visitors have made the Dominican Republic part of their vacations.
Tourism Minister David Collado told reporters that in July 2024, well over 800,000 visitors came to the country by air, up 2% from last year and 37% from 2019 (the last year before the Covid-19 pandemic).
Not only that but over 200,000 visitors came by cruise ship, docking at the several tourist ports around the island. This number is an amazing 39% jump from last year.
At a time when tourism from Europe is not buoyant, the Dominican Republic is experiencing a sustained tourism revival thanks to a strategic shift towards emerging markets in the Americas.
As the war in Ukraine disrupted travel from Europe and global fuel prices soared, the Caribbean nation turned its attention to neighboring countries. This diversification strategy has proven highly successful, with significant increases in visitor arrivals from Puerto Rico, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Ecuador.
Tourism Minister David Collado highlighted the effectiveness of this approach, stating: “We are focusing on emerging markets, implementing a diverse strategy with Latin American countries, and it’s yielding excellent results.”
Direct connections and attractive airfares on the local ultra low cost carrier, Arajet has spearheaded the boom in travel from the Americas. Latin Americans have been coming for stays at Dominican beach resorts and to enjoy the gastronomy and nightlife of Dominican cities. Medical tourism is also up.
For instance, the number of tourists from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic has jumped from 70,995 in the first seven months of 2018 to 124,305 in the same period of 2024. Similarly, arrivals from Colombia surged from 54,802 in 2018 to 173,158 in 2024, representing a 215.9% increase.
While the United States and Canada remain top sources of tourists for the Dominican Republic, the growing contributions from Latin American nations are playing a pivotal role in the country’s tourism overall.
As a result of all of this, the Dominican Republic is now enjoying a considerable advantage over other Central American and Caribbean destinations, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization that do not have direct flights from so many key cities in the Americas.
Read more in Spanish:
Ministry of Tourism
Listin Diario
20 August 2024