Cruise arrivals drop 41% in October due to Hurricane Melissa

Santo Domingo.- Intense rains from Hurricane Melissa caused the Dominican Republic to lose an estimated 25,000 cruise passengers in October, after multiple ships were forced to divert or cancel their scheduled routes, according to the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur).

Melissa, which developed on October 21 and dissipated on October 31 as a Category 5 hurricane, contributed to a sharp drop in cruise arrivals. The country received 98,051 cruise visitors in October—41% fewer than during the same month in 2024. Tourism Minister David Collado explained that more than 11 vessels were unable to dock at Dominican ports due to unsafe weather conditions. Some of those cruises, he added, are expected to reschedule visits for November and December.

Despite the disruption, Deputy Minister Jacqueline Mora noted that the nearly 100,000 cruise passengers who did arrive represent an increase of 11% compared to 2023 and 51% above pre-pandemic levels—evidence of the sector’s continued strength. Between January and October, the Dominican Republic welcomed 2,115,262 cruise passengers, exceeding the previous year’s arrivals by 8,524 visitors, for a slight growth of 0.4%.