According to data from Mitur, the country has 1,332,234 travel reservations from tourists planning to arrive between April and June of this year.
SANTO DOMINGO.- According to figures released yesterday by the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur), the Dominican Republic experienced a 13% increase in the number of visitors last March compared to March of last year, a 35% increase when comparing the figure with the same period in 2022, and a 24% increase compared to 2019.
David Collado, Minister of Tourism, traveled this time to the country's most renowned tourist destination, Punta Cana, to deliver the good news for the third month of 2024, reporting that in March the country received 1,104,770 visitors, 16 percent more than the same month last year.
He explained that of that number of visitors, 836,502 arrived by air and 267,768 by sea.
According to official data from the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur), the country has 1,332,234 tourist reservations for trips planned between April and June. The agency estimates that these reservations are 8.4% higher than those made in the second quarter of 2023 (1.2 million) and represent a 24% increase compared to two years ago, when the figure barely exceeded one million.
“We continue to reach spectacular figures: 1,104,270 visitors last month, which gives us the magic number 3,226,484 in the first three months of this year, something never seen before in the history of Dominican tourism,” Collado commented when presenting the sector's performance with the participation of industry leaders and stakeholders.
The official stated that the arrival of 836,502 tourists by air last month is only comparable to the Christmas season.
Collado pointed out that this historic growth is also reflected in the cruise sector, with 267,768 visitors arriving by sea in March alone, rising to 1,104,270 cruise passengers in the January-March 2024 period.
According to data provided by the head of Mitur, the countries that contributed the most tourists in March and in the first quarter of this year were the United States with 49%, Canada with 23%, and Colombia and Argentina with 3%.
Regarding the airports that received the most tourists, Punta Cana stands out with 61%, Las Américas 21%, Cibao 10%, Puerto Plata 7% and La Romana with 1%.
First quarter
David Collado said that the figure of more than 3 million visitors to the country represents an "unprecedented" event, marking a growth trend in tourism, which increased by 12% this period compared to last year. 2,334,562 passengers arrived by air, and 890,922 by sea.
Holy Week was a busy period for tourism, where the Minister of Tourism revealed that the number of tourists who arrived in the country during this year's holiday exceeded the number from last year, 2023, by more than 50%.
According to the figure provided by the official, during the Holy Week holiday, 195,099 tourists arrived in the land of merengue by air, while in 2023 the number of visitors was 130,069.
“2024 continues to be a strong year for tourism. This Easter, we surpassed 2023 with an increase of more than 50% in tourist arrivals. During this holiday, 195,099 tourists arrived in the Dominican Republic by air, compared to 130,069 last year,” Collado posted on his social media accounts after the holiday.
