- The country encourages the arrival of more South American tourists.
- It is projected to add 9,000 hotel rooms within three years.
After overcoming a start to the year marked by a decline in the arrivals of non-resident foreigners in Central America and the Caribbean, the Dominican tourism industry is confident it can surpass its previous records and attract more than 12 million visitors by the end of the year.
The fact that 4,369,288 visitors chose the Dominican Republic as their main tourist destination, with 1,020,646 arriving in April alone—representing a 7% growth compared to 2024—shows that the country maintains its leadership as an attractive destination in the region.
Currently, the national hotel offer stands at 8,600 rooms, with plans to introduce new accommodations.
Tourism Minister David Collado acknowledged the resilience of the industry, which remained attractive and competitive during a “difficult” start to the year. The growth seen in April demonstrated “how strong tourism is.”
During the 25th edition of the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE 2025), the official explained that the leading institution continued promotional strategies that encouraged tourist arrivals from countries such as Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia.
Since signing an open skies agreement with Argentina, the Dominican Republic has benefited from the entry of approximately 172,000 tourists from that country, doubling the number of trips recorded from Argentina in 2024. Collado’s goal is to reach 350,000 tourists from Argentina by the end of this year.
Similarly, the country aims to attract over 450,000 Colombians in 2025, thanks to significant improvements in air connectivity with these potential markets, which are expected to offset declines in tourist flows from traditional European markets like France, Germany, and England.
Greater Capacity
More tourists mean a need for additional hotel accommodations. Therefore, the opening of the St. Regis hotel in Punta Cana, along with new brands like Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton, as well as Viva Wyndham and Zemi All-Inclusive Resorts in Miches, is expected to expand the current offering of around 86,000 rooms.
“We aim to build around 9,000 hotel rooms in the next three years, which could help us reach the goal of 15 million tourists in the coming years. Nobody can stop this country,” said Juan Bancalari, president of the Dominican Hotel and Tourism Association (Asonahores).
The hotelier emphasized that the benefits of this growth translate into significant economic spillover. Dominican tourism contributes 19.3% to the value added to GDP and attracts about one billion dollars in foreign investment.
Focus on Diversity
Minister Collado highlighted that the country has been working “to strengthen our infrastructure, enhance tourist arrivals, and now implement a strategy of decentralization and diversification.”
Since 2000, DATE has served as a platform for hotel owners, travel agencies, airlines, tour operators, and all companies involved in this sector’s value chain to exchange experiences on industry trends and formalize important business agreements.
“We need to diversify: that a tourist coming to Punta Cana can visit the Colonial City, go to Barahona, or explore the Pedernales project,” he emphasized.
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