The Ministry of Tourism presented the official figures of visitor arrivals
The Dominican Republic was the preferred holiday destination for 11,192,047 visitors who chose it between January and December 2024, representing a growth of 9% compared to 2023 and 48% compared to 2019, according to official figures presented by the Ministry of Tourism.
“We are exceeding our own record figures,” said the minister, David Collado, recalling that the country surpassed the 10 million visitors mark in 2023, and managed to add a further 1.1 million visitors to that goal.
8,535,742 tourists entered the country by air, for an increase of 6% compared to 2023 (477,171 additional travelers).
This means that more than 100,000 tourists were added to the 250,000 who, on average, visited the country’s most relevant tourist destinations daily during their stay, said the Technical Deputy Minister of Tourism, Jacqueline Mora.
“We are going from having around 250,000 tourists daily, 200,000 tourists going around every day in the morning, when they get up. This increase means we are talking about 100,000 more tourists, which are an opportunity not only for the tourism sector, but for the service sector, for the retail sector, for shopping,” she said.
She explained that this has a direct impact on the local economy, since tourists spend up to six times more than a Dominican. According to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD), tourists spent an average of US$ 166.76 during their stay between January and September of last year.
Airport entry
When looking at the data on air arrivals by airport, 4,995,930 passengers arrived through Punta Cana International Airport, where 59% of the total number of tourists arrived in the country. This was followed by Las Americas International Airport, with 2,004,045 travelers (24%), and Cibao Airport, with 965,127 passengers. Puerto Plata Airport closes the list of the five busiest port terminals per tourist, with 420,348 passengers, representing 5% of the total.
Accommodation and activities
Upon arriving in the Dominican Republic, tourists stayed for 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.
The United States continued to lead the country of residence for holiday makers, followed by Canadians (17%), Colombians (5%), Argentines (4%) and Puerto Ricans (3%).
44% of tourists surveyed by the Ministry of Tourism – 365,861 surveys nationwide – said this was their first trip to Dominican Republic, which shows how the country is positioning itself among first time travelers to this country.
However, the figures also show that the Dominican tourism offer must continue to be competitive and attractive, since 67% considered Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica as other potential holiday destinations before opting for Quisqueya.
While 42% purchased activities outside the hotels, 58% carried out activities outside their accommodation, with Saona Island and the Colonial Zone being two of the busiest places, while buggy and horseback riding were two of the most popular adventure activities for fun.
In addition, 82% consumed local food and 77% considered it “attractive”, positively valuing the service provided, its preparation and quality.
Cruise ship arrivals grow 18%
Cruise tourism closed last year with 2,656,305 visitors who docked at the country’s ports, a growth of 18% compared to 2023.
“This is obviously amazing, 103% above 2023 and 141% above 2019,” Mora said.
The ports of Amber Cove and Taino Bay, in Puerto Plata, continued to capture 82.6% of passengers by sea, adding 2,195,864 arrivals.
Last year saw the first impact of the arrival of cruise ships Cabo Rojo port, inaugurated last January, and which closed the year with 11,626 visitors.
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