SANTO DOMINGO- The number of non-resident visitors who set foot on Dominican soil during the first four months of this year rose 35.7% compared to 2022, going from 2,758,703 in January-April of last year to 3,745,475 this 2023.
The Ministry of Tourism (MITUR) reported yesterday the arrival of 862,705 tourists to the Dominican Republic last April 2023, of which 681,567 arrived by air and 181,138 cruise passengers.
David Collado, head of that ministry, offered the information during his usual monthly presentation to the public, in which he also detailed the five main countries from which visitors came: the United States, Canada, Colombia, Argentina and France.
Regarding efforts to attract new visitors, Collado explained that Argentina, despite being immersed in a prolonged period of inflation, ranks fourth among countries sending tourists to the Dominican Republic. It surpassed France, which accounts for 3.1% of the top five countries sending tourists to the Dominican Republic.
The official highlighted the impact of tourism on the Dominican economy and urged the country's politicians to become an integral part of the sector. "We must set aside political interests to continue promoting tourism," he said.
He commented that the goal set by that ministry for the remainder of the year is to reach 7.9 million tourists to surpass the 7.1 million of 2022; in addition to conquering other source countries such as Argentina and Brazil, where the promotion team of the state agency was recently to expand the Dominican offer.
In the case of Brazil, which is not on the main list of visitors, he said that it is a competitive market which they are willing to encourage so that its inhabitants get to know and travel more to Dominican soil.
According to data provided by Collado, the ranking of the main nations from which the Dominican Republic received visitors last April was as follows:
- United States 47.2%
- Canada 19.5%
- Colombia 3.7%
- Argentina 3.1%
- France 2.4%
In the case of France, the proportion of tourists arriving in the country decreased.
The MITUR figures establish a new record for the accumulated statistics, as they exceed the period between the last five years compared, from 2018 to 2023.
A strategy that is expected to bear fruit over time is related to organic promotions through social networks and digital portals, direct contact channels that show people's experiences and their evaluation of services and places visited.
In this regard, Collado assures that the ministry has saved some 7 billion pesos in promotion and that said fund is in the bank accounts of the state agency, which demonstrates the integration of a committed sector.
"I thank the influencers - people who influence the decisions of others through the use of social media - for being part of this promotion, who, in a selfless way, work in favor of the country's tourism," Collado expressed to representatives of the sector and digital entrepreneurs who use social media as a means of dissemination.
Cruise passengers on the rise
The growth in cruise ship arrivals has been constant, placing the country among the leaders in this sector in the region, according to the MITUR report.
Collado reported that 181,138 cruise passengers arrived in April, surpassing the 90,427 who arrived during the same month in 2022 and the 74,452 of 2019. In the January-April period, the country received 987,665 cruise passengers, exceeding the 417,744 of last year and 459,441 of 2019.
