For the first time in history, the Dominican Republic received more than 5.3 million visitors in the first six months of the year
SANTO DOMINGO.- The arrival of 5.3 million visitors to the country in the first six months of this year represents a guarantee that the Dominican Republic will reach 10 million tourists, declared Héctor Valdez Albizu, governor of the Central Bank, and David Collado, Minister of Tourism, yesterday.
"Ten million is a very strong number for a sector that has gone through a triple crisis: the COVID-19 crisis, the geopolitical crisis - which we are still going through - and the tropical storms," the governor explained yesterday at the monthly luncheon meeting of the Ministry of Tourism, where the current state and trends of Dominican tourism are presented.
Valdez Albizu stated that the performance of the tourism sector will position the country as one of the "most visited" destinations this year.
He opined that the more than 5 million visitors who arrived in the country in the period January-June 2023, are a sign that the goal proposed by the industry, to welcome 10 million visitors through the different airports and seaports by the end of the year, will be met.
He explained that the arrival of tourists to the Dominican Republic has managed to surpass the arrival of countries with a larger territorial extension such as Argentina, Brazil or Colombia.
Valdez Albizu indicated that the impact of tourism on economic activity is shown by the Hotels, Bars and Restaurants sector, which grew by 24%.
"This explains more than a quarter of GDP during 2022, practically only that, because we had other sectors that do contribute, but which, for geopolitical reasons, were not doing so," he noted.
He said that the January-May performance, of 12.9%, seems to indicate that it will "play the same role" in the economy for 2023.
He also highlighted that the tourism value chain helps to drive agriculture, attracts foreign investment, and contributes to remittances through non-resident Dominicans who come to the country.
"Tourism also has the advantage of generating foreign currency and helping us to pay off current account deficits in the balance of payments," he pointed out.
David Collado
The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, reported that in June alone the country received 707,283 tourists, representing a growth of 21% more than in 2018, 20% more than in 2019 and 10% more than in 2022.
He indicated that in the period January-June 4,086,675 tourists visited the Dominican Republic by air, the highest number of visitors the country receives in six months.
Collado also highlighted the sustained growth that the country maintains with the arrival of cruise ship passengers through the various ports.
He reported that for the first time, 1,267,451 cruise passengers visited the country during the first 6 months of the year.
"If we add up those who visited us by air and sea, the country received the incredible figure of 5,354,126 people, something historic," he said.
The official reiterated that if 5.3 million tourists have arrived by mid-year, "the goal of 10 million visitors will surely be reached.".
