Six out of every 10 tourists stayed in hotels. With an average stay of 9 nights, the estimated foreign exchange earnings from tourist spending amount to US$640 million; 60% of visitors arrived through Punta Cana, 24% through Las Américas International Airport, 13% through Santiago International Airport, 2% through Puerto Plata, and 1% through the airports of La Romana and Samaná.
SANTO DOMINGO.- In his monthly report yesterday, the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, reported that in May 2022 the percentage of hotel room occupancy rose to 68%, which represents an improvement of 19 percentage points compared to the same period last year.
Eighty-six percent of the guests were from abroad. Occupancy rates improved in most tourist areas compared to 2021, notably in Bayahibe, La Romana, and Bavaro-Punta Cana, where both areas saw increases of more than 20 percentage points.
The Tourism report indicates that other areas such as Greater Santo Domingo and Santiago had growth rates of less than 10 percentage points, with the highest occupancy growth recorded in the Romana – Bayahíbe area at 83%.
Tourism continues to thrive
Dominican tourism continues to strengthen its recovery process and reach record figures with the arrival of almost three million visitors in the first five months of the year, declared David Collado yesterday, who announced that in May the arrival barrier was broken again with the visit of 561,323 tourists.
“That means we recorded an 11 percent increase over May 2018, six percent more than in 2019, and we surpassed May of last year by 44 percent,” the official said at his now traditional monthly press conference where the results of the sector's performance are announced.
He stated that the recovery and growth of tourism is such that in the last twelve months the country received the arrival of 6,459,738 non-resident visitors.
“Of those arrivals in May, 453,371 were foreigners, which represents two percent more than in 2019 and four percent above the same month in 2018,” reported Minister Collado.
May also saw an increase in cruise ship arrivals, reaching 82,199, three percent more than the same month in 2019.
Details of tourist arrivals
71% of non-residents come from North America and the Caribbean, and 16% from Europe.
62% of visitors that month were between 18 and 49 years old. Broken down by segment, 27% of foreign tourists were adventurers, 29% adults, 27% families, and 17% seniors. Six out of ten tourists stayed in hotels.
With average stays of 9 nights, the estimated foreign exchange earnings from tourist spending amount to US$640 million.
60% of this month's visitor influx entered through Punta Cana airport, 24% through Las Américas, 13% through Santiago, 2% through Puerto Plata, and 1% through the airports of La Romana and Samaná.
2022 Estimates
Reservations for travel to the Dominican Republic during the summer are 13.5% higher than those made during the same period in 2019. Reservations for the end of the year are 57.5% higher compared to reservations made during the same period in 2019.
During the entire year of 2022, the arrival of more than 7 million non-residents is expected, the highest value for a single year in the history of Dominican tourism.
