- This represents 2% growth compared to January–October 2025, the Ministry of Tourism highlighted.
Between January and October of this year, the Dominican Republic stood out as the main vacation and business destination for 9,283,767 visitors, 2% more than in the same period last year, the Ministry of Tourism reported on Thursday.
The head of the institution, David Collado, explained that of that total, 7,168,505 arrived by air, a 3% increase compared to January–October 2024.
Meanwhile, cruise arrivals totaled 2,115,262 visitors, which is 0.4% more than the previous year.
Arrivals in October
In the month of October alone, 691,073 visitors arrived, 4% more than in 2024, including 593,022 air passengers and 98,051 sea passengers.
The minister pointed out that 60% of tourists arriving by plane entered through Punta Cana International Airport, reflecting a 12% increase compared to last October.
Meanwhile, 24% entered through Las Américas Airport — which recorded a 2% decrease — and 12% through Cibao Airport, which saw a 4% increase.
In addition, 1% of foreign passengers arrived through La Romana Airport, the air terminal that posted the highest growth in October — 80% — thanks to new agreements with airlines aimed at recovering the Russian and Ukrainian markets.
Recovery of the U.S. and growth in Latin America
Regarding the origin of visitors, the Technical Vice Minister of Tourism, Jacqueline Mora, specified that 38% came from the United States, a market that recorded a 5% increase after a season in which fewer tourists traveled from that country, which is the main source of visitors to the Dominican Republic.
“In recent months we had seen the United States in negative territory, due to the impact of various international events, and we are now beginning to see a recovery,” she emphasized.
Among the source markets showing the highest growth are:
- Argentina (29%)
- Colombia (28%)
- Puerto Rico (12%)
- Peru (23%)
Collado stressed that tourist arrivals to Dominican soil have remained strong even without counting the more than half a million visitors from Russia and Ukraine, thanks to the international promotion strategy focused on North America and South America, the latter showing increasingly better results.
Even so, he noted that Europe is slowly beginning to recover, with the United Kingdom ranking as the seventh country sending the most tourists to the Dominican Republic in October, with 2% growth.
Melissa impacted cruise tourism
Collado also explained that Hurricane Melissa caused 11 vessels to divert their routes to ports in the country, affecting the arrival of more than 25,000 cruise passengers.
As a result, the arrival of these passengers fell below 100,000 in October, with a total of 98,051 visitors, a 41% drop compared to 2024.
Even so, the industry remains resilient and dynamic, as cruise lines are expected to reschedule the canceled routes in November.
Cruise tourism has received a total of 2,115,262 cruise passengers in the last eight months, between January and October of this year.
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