SANTO DOMINGO - Occupancy rates for short-term rental properties in the country increased between 25 and 35% in the last year, President Luis Abinader said in his accountability report.
“The economy of households that live off short-term rentals was also positively impacted, with an increase in occupancy from 25% to 35%, and many more properties,” the president highlighted.
When reviewing the results of tourism last year, Abinader highlighted that hotel occupancy reached historically high levels, with an annual average close to 75%.
“This performance occurred despite the fact that, exactly one year ago, the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine began, from which we stopped receiving 450,000 tourists. Even so, we once again became part of the leadership in the recovery in 2022. While the world still has a 37% gap compared to before the pandemic, our country grew at a double-digit rate,” he explained.
In his opinion, the strong performance continues to contribute significantly to the stability of the country's exchange rate. "The hotel, bar, and restaurant sector is responsible for more than 30% of economic growth, and therefore for maintaining and creating jobs," he stated.
“For the first time, the Dominican Republic surpassed $8.4 billion in foreign exchange earnings from tourism last year. A record figure, which all indications suggest will continue to grow,” the president said.
He stated that his government has not only focused on international tourism, but also on strengthening local tourism. “To this end, we launched the Tourism in Every Corner strategy, which combined strengthening non-traditional destinations with promotion and activities to distribute the benefits of tourism throughout the country.”.
Luis Abinader referred to the works developed by the Ministry of Tourism, including the Malecón de la Cabrera, the renovation and conditioning of the beach of El Quemaito, Los Patos, the improvement of the accesses and roads of Playa Macao, Playa Cenote or Esmeralda among many others.
“In line with global trends, over the past two years, the country has been diversifying its destinations and tourism offerings on several fronts. First, we restarted the revitalization process of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo, launching Turizoneando, an initiative that seeks to promote the main attractions of the colonial zone through routes and cultural activities, which has been very successful.”.
About Airbnb
The world's most popular platform, currently integrated into more than 200 countries, is one of the new alternatives forming part of the tourism sector. The country currently has more than 90,000 properties dedicated to short-term rentals, even surpassing the number of existing hotel units.
