The Dominican Republic was the preferred destination of 11,192,047 visitorswho chose it for vacation between January and December 2024. The figure represented a growth 9% compared to 2023 and 48% compared to 2019, according to official data presented yesterday by the Ministry of Tourism.
“We are growing on this country’s own record figure,” highlighted the minister, David Colladoremembering that the industry surpassed the 10 million mark visitors in 2023.
Of this total, 8,535,742 tourists They entered the country via aerialfor an increase of 6% compared to 2023 (477,171 additional travelers).
This means that more than 100,000 tourists They joined the 250,000 who, on average, traveled through the tourist destinations most relevant that the country has during her stay, said the technical vice minister of TourismJacqueline Mora.
“We are going from having around 250,000 daily touristswalking around every day in the morning, when they get up. With that increase, we are talking about 100,000 tourists more, they are an opportunity not only for the sector tourismbut for the services sector, for the retail sector, for purchasing,” he pointed out.
He highlighted the direct impact that these results have on the local economysince the tourists They spend up to six times more than a Dominican. According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD), the visitors They spent an average of $166.76 during their stay between January and September of last year.
Accommodation
Upon arriving at the Dominican Republicthe tourists They stayed an average of 8.06 nights, occupying 72.2% of the hotel rooms available nationwide and up to 35.1% of short-stay accommodations, which includes properties offered by companies such as Booking and Airbnb.
USA continued to lead the country of residence of those who came to do the most tourismfollowed by the Canadians (17%), Colombians (5%), Argentines (4%) and Puerto Ricans (3%).
72.2%
Average hotel occupancy rate of tourists who stayed overnight in the DR during 2024.
For 44% of tourists surveyed by the Ministry of Tourism (which applied 365,861 surveys nationwide) to be in the Dominican Republic It represented his first time in the country, which shows how the country is positioning itself among travelers who had not yet had the opportunity to know it.
Although 42% carried out activities within the hotels where they stayed, 58% of them went on excursions outside of them, with Saona Island and the Colonial Zone being two of the most popular places, while buggy rides and horseback riding were two of the most chosen adventure activities for fun. In addition, 82% ate local food and 77% considered it “attractive”, positively valuing the service provided, its preparation and quality.
Cruise tourism closed last year with 2,656,305 visitors who docked in the country’s ports, for a growth of 18% compared to 2023. “This is evidently a scandal, with 103% above 2023 and 141% above 2019 “Mora highlighted. The ports of Amber Cove and Taíno Bay, in Puerto Plata, continued to account for 82.6% of sea passengers, totaling the arrival of 2,195,864. Last year, for the first time, cruise ships arrived at the tourist port of Cabo Rojo, inaugurated in January 2024, which closed the year with 11,626 visitors.
