SANTO DOMINGO.– After completing a series of meetings with tour operators in Puerto Rico yesterday, the Dominican Republic's Minister of Tourism, David Collado, said that the arrival of visitors from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic has experienced a growth of more than 70% since 2019, and that in 2024 the arrival of more than 200,000 tourists from there is projected.
“Puerto Rico is an extremely important market for the Dominican Republic. In 2019, 114,068 tourists visited, and in 2023, 199,625, representing a 75% increase,” the official posted on his social media accounts X and Instagram.
Collado added that as of July, the Dominican Republic has received 163,110 visitors from Puerto Rico, with a projection of exceeding 220,000 by the end of this year.
“Thank you to all the travel agents and tour operators who joined us on this #RoadShowRDPorElMundo. We leave with the certainty that we will continue to strengthen our ties and create new opportunities together.” We look forward to seeing you in the Dominican Republic!, Collado posted.
David Collado during one of the meetings with tour operators in Puerto Rico. (External source).
He thanked Puerto Rican travel agents and tour operators for their support of Dominican Republic tourism. “It is a source of pride to see the Dominican Republic solidifying its position as one of the preferred destinations for Puerto Ricans,” the Minister of Tourism stated.
Projections
The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic reported that during the first half of 2024, the arrival of non-resident passengers through the different international airport terminals totaled 4,475,133 tourists, reaching a historical record for the first six months of a year.
“This figure represents a year-on-year increase of 9.5%, equivalent to 388,496 additional visitors compared to the January-June period of 2023. In terms of the distribution of the total number of people received, 85.6% corresponds to foreign travelers (3,829,494 passengers) who chose the country as a tourist destination and the remaining 14.4% to non-resident Dominicans (645,639 passengers).”.
The Ministry of Tourism, in its report for July of this year, reported that during the first seven months of 2024, the Dominican Republic reached a record 6,968,623 visits, bringing the total to a historic 31,947,565 visits from August 2020 to July 2024.
In his inaugural address on August 16, President Luis Abinader declared that by 2024 the country will receive more than 11 million visitors.
