The United States and Colombia are the two countries that added the most to the rebound that the tourism sector in the Dominican Republic registered in June.
Of the total number of foreigners who visited the national territory in that month, 32% did so from the United States. That represents 7% more than June 2019, when the world had not been hit by the covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, 23% of the foreigners who visited the Dominican Republic last month come from Colombia. That is, in the case of visits by Colombians, 127% above the amount that came to this nation in 2019, according to official data from the Ministry of Tourism.
Dominican tourism continues to break historical records, while other countries in the region have not yet recovered and announce hotel closures, as in the case of Panama.
In a balance presented this Monday by the minister David Colladothe arrival of 644,861 foreigners was reported last June, thus achieving the best June in the history of Dominican tourism.
The numbers
When presenting the statistics of the behavior of the tourism industry, the Minister of Tourism indicated that the visit of the 644,861 in June represents a growth, in arrival, of 9.9% more than that registered in the same period of 2018 and a 9.8% higher than 2019.
“And as a sample, a button is enough to tell you that this month of June, which has just ended, we receive more tourists than in that same month of the year 2018, 2019 and 2021. That is why we say with all propriety that we managed to have the best month of June in the entire history of tourism,” said Minister Collado.
He highlighted the sustained growth that the tourism sector has had in the first six months of this year, an achievement that he attributes to the total recovery of the industry, thanks to the efforts of the public and private sectors.
At the press conference, where he was accompanied by representatives of the private sector, Collado reported that 3,547,142 tourists visited the country in the first half of this year.
Value added
Highlighting the economic impact of tourism on the economy, Collado said that only last month the sector generated more than 739 million dollars.
He reported that hotel occupancy exceeds 71 percent in general terms and the average stay is ten days.
The airports that received the largest flow of visitors were Punta Cana and Las Américas.
Collado affirmed that the sustained growth in the arrival of visitors is not only by air, but also by sea.
“72,689 cruise passengers did not visit in June, which represents 25 percent more than those who arrived in the same period of 2019,” the official said.
Collado guaranteed that in the coming months tourism will continue to reach blue numbers and predicted that this year will close with more than 7 million visitors, “a historical figure in the arrival of tourists to the Dominican Republic.”
