SANTO DOMINGO. - With a projection of exceeding the 8,000 appointment requests made in the last edition and with a focus on promoting public-private partnerships, the 25th edition of the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE) tourism fair opens today, Wednesday, May 14, and runs until next Friday, May 16.
The event, which will take place at the Barceló Bávaro Convention Center in Punta Cana, is organized by the Dominican Republic Hotel and Tourism Association (Asonahores).
“This fair not only boosts business but also projects the future of Dominican tourism, focusing on excellence, adaptability, and continuous growth. For DATE 2025, we are focusing on promoting the public-private agenda to showcase the destinations and their tourist attractions in Santo Domingo, Pedernales, Miches, Puerto Plata, Santiago, Punta Cana, and La Romana-Bayahibe,” stated Aguie Lendor, Executive Vice President of Asonahores, during the announcement of this year's fair.
For his part, the president of the entity, Juan Bancalari, in giving details of the meeting highlighted that DATE 2025 finds the tourism industry in a good moment, when the country registered the record figure of 11 million tourists in 2024, "reaffirming the position of the Dominican Republic as a regional leader in attracting visitors.".
Puerto Plata with expanded delegation
The tourist destination of Puerto Plata, where the history of tourism in the country began, announced that it will present its entire tourism value chain, through a delegation made up of a diverse group of companies that are members of the Puerto Plata Destination Tourism Cluster, such as the Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Companies of the North (ASHONORTE), the Association of Hotels of Playa Dorada (AHPD) and the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Sosúa and Cabarete (ASHORESOCA).
The Bride of the Atlantic said she will showcase her varied, authentic, and sustainable tourism offerings, with the active participation of: Runners Adventures, Macoríx House of Rum, Ahmsa Marina, Ocean World Adventure Park, Hodelpa Hotels, Grupo Rescue, Hotel Marien Puerto Plata, Chukka – Wild Play, Lifestyle Holidays Hotels & Resorts, VH Hotels & Resorts, Banco Popular Dominicano, Nature River Park, Viva Wyndham, Manureva Tours, Brief SRL, and Hospitality Management Solutions with Natura Cabana and Green Land.
DATE 2024
Last year, the trade fair concluded with 8,500 business appointments. It featured 133 booths, 23 countries from source markets, over 340 buyers, and 500 suppliers.
