SANTO DOMINGO – The average hotel occupancy rate in the Dominican Republic's main tourist destinations reached 84.7% last February, according to statistics from the Tourism Intelligence System (Situr), an agency of the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur). Compared to the same period last year, the figures indicate an increase.
According to Situr records, the average for February of last year was 80.4%, crowning it as the month with the highest hotel occupancy in the country in 2023.
Bávaro-Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Romana-Bayahibe recorded the highest scores in the number of guests registered in those destinations in the second month of 2024, where the arrival of tourists to the country, by air and sea, totaled more than one million visitors, according to the Mitur report.
The Bávaro-Punta Cana resorts maintained an occupancy rate of 89.4%, followed by Puerto Plata, the "Bride of the Atlantic," which ranked second with 85.5% occupancy. This March, Puerto Plata will receive a total of 59 cruise ships at its Amber Cove and Taino Bay ports; Amber Cove will host 24, while Taino Bay will receive 35.
Bayahibe, La Romana, a favorite tourist destination in the east of the country, filled its hotel establishments to 84.2% of visitors.
Situr figures place Sosua-Cabarete as the fourth destination where a large number of visitors stayed during the Dominican carnival month, with an occupancy rate of 79.5%.
Samaná follows, one of the trendiest destinations among domestic and international visitors, reaching an occupancy rate of 75.9%. Boca Chica-Juan Dolio registered a hotel occupancy rate of 70.6% during the month of February.
In Greater Santo Domingo, hotels were 64.2% occupied in the second month of 2024, while Santiago de los Caballeros experienced an occupancy rate of 58.2%.
Statistics from Situr show that of the visitors registered in these establishments, 91.9% are foreigners, while 8.1% are local visitors.
In January
Hotel occupancy in the main Dominican tourist destinations reached 80.8% last January 2024, according to Situr, with Bávaro, Punta Cana, registering the highest occupancy with a figure that reached 86.6%, followed by Bayahibe, La Romana, with 85.7% of guests.
