I am not going to write about the 11.5 million visitors that the Dominican Republic is estimated to reach in 2025 or about the long-awaited goal of 10 million tourists, which we have not yet reached. Nor am I going to dwell on a “percentage slowdown” in growth, because what is really relevant is that we continue to grow and that, in this high season, as a result of the public-private effort and, regrettably, Hurricane Melissa, the country, we hope, will receive an extraordinary flow of tourists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That said, it is necessary to offer context. The Dominican Republic has established itself as the Caribbean’s leader in international arrivals and is forecast to exceed the 11,192,047 visitors achieved in 2024. According to figures from the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, tourism represents 8.81% of the national GDP, employs 7% of the working population, generates 33.9% of the foreign currency that enters the country and captures more than 20% of foreign direct investment. When considering the indirect and induced effects of the sector, the Ministry of Tourism estimates that it accounts for around 20% of GDP, making it an essential pillar of the national economy and a key driver for employment, infrastructure and entrepreneurship. This dynamism confirms the potential of tourism as a tool for growth, development, and territorial transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is precisely the starting point of what I want to address. Yes, we have the best airport and hotel infrastructure in the Caribbean, but that alone is not enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The country needs to devise a ten-year sustainable tourism development plan. The decision has been taken by the Ministry of Tourism and by Minister Collado, with the hiring of UN Tourism as an advisory body. This is a historical call on the part of the private tourism sector formulated for more than two decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aspiration is that, by 2036, the Dominican Republic will consolidate its tourism leadership in the Caribbean through “a competitive, innovative, inclusive and sustainable model, based on diversification, regeneration, participatory governance, efficient territorial planning and high-quality standards. This model will seek to generate shared well-being, protect natural and cultural
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heritage, and strengthen the country’s resilience to future challenges.” An ambitious statement of purpose, which entails a real challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the goal? To diversify the tourism offer by incorporating culture, nature, community tourism, gastronomy and MICE; integrating sustainability as a transversal axis of management, promotion and operation; strengthening community participation, local employment and productive linkages and, not least, moving towards climate resilience through adaptation, low-carbon tourism and nature-based solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A first outline of the plan includes eight axes, 19 strategies and 57 actions, including vision, governance and territorial planning; entrepreneurship, innovation and digitalization, as well as technical and vocational training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is an ambitious plan with which I fully support. It requires an enormous effort and a high level of political leadership over the next two years of the three that remain of the Abinader administration, and constitutes a legacy that, if properly executed, will have extraordinary value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the past decade, the country has made a particular commitment to increasing the value of its tourism product, mainly through the airport, hotel, and gastronomic sectors. However, if we do not raise the standards of quality in the service, we run the risk of being left halfway. Innovation, digitalization, and artificial intelligence must be instruments of change, but they will never replace a smile. They are a means to an end: a satisfactory travel experience requires a high-quality product, service with a human face and a harmonious relationship with nature, where price and quality are consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Governance and territorial planning are among the greatest challenges facing the country, especially when we are talking about a tourist territory that, in essence, belongs to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mobility and circulation of tourists throughout the country pose another challenge with a great potential impact on the public and private finances of the communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our reference is Spain. In 2025, that country expects a record year in tourism, with forecasts of close to 98 million international visitors, an historic figure accompanied by high spending and growth in almost all source markets, which consolidates its European tourism leadership. But it is not only about volume; it is also about the wide economic spillover that tourism generates in almost the entire motherland (thanks to the close ties), ease of circulation, road safety and citizen safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, let’s raise our stakes. The country will be grateful for it and its citizens, even more so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Article written on December 15, 2025. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n *Source: Revista Boh\u00edo, December – January 2026 Edition<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am not going to write about the 11.5 million visitors that the Dominican Republic is estimated to reach in 2025 or about the long-awaited goal of 10 million tourists, which we have not yet reached. Nor am I going…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":10486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[149],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investment-in-dr"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n