The Dominican Republic has achieved a quick tourism recovery in the first two years of the government, after the main supply markets due to the pandemic had been reduced to a minimum with the closure of the borders, thanks to the implementation of the “Responsible Recovery Plan for the Tourism Sector”, with which protocols were applied opportune in a joint work of the State and the private sector, as well as an aggressive promotion of the country in the international markets.
Proof of this has been the positive result that the sector has had since last year, with the increase in tourist arrivals month after month, the recovery of employment and the generation of foreign exchange, key to the recovery of the Dominican economy.
Entering the year 2021, four months after having decided to implement the recovery plan, on August 26, 2020, the tourism sector began to have positive percentage variations.
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The year 2020 ended with the arrival of 2,405,315 tourists, a negative variation at a general level and doubled that figure in 2021 as the year ended with 4,994,309 visitors.
In the seven months that go into 2022, the sector has almost reached the arrival figures for 2021, with 4,182,207 tourists, which is why it aims, according to the projections of the Ministry of Tourism, to close the year with 7 million visits .
Along with the increase in tourist arrivals, the sector has also achieved the recovery of employment, since as of July this year tourism has 173,345 employees, positions that have already surpassed all those generated in the sector in the last 12 years. In 2020 employment fell to 81,896.
In terms of foreign exchange generated, the sector has contributed US$931 million this year, while last year, tourist arrivals generated US$5,626 million. In December 2021 alone, foreign exchange generated reached US$843 million, according to figures from the Central Bank.
