Dominican Republic welcomes record 8.5 million visitors through August 2026

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic welcomed a record 8,556,415 visitors between January and August 2026, marking a 6.9% increase compared with the same period in 2025, according to Tourism Minister David Collado.

Of the total, 6,610,258 arrived by air, while 1,946,151 were cruise passengers. The figure represents growth of 9.8% compared with 2024 and 58.9% compared with 2019, highlighting the continued expansion of the country’s tourism sector.

In August alone, the country received 856,858 visitors, up 6.2% year over year, 5.4% compared with August 2024 and 52.3% above the same month in 2019.

Air arrivals totaled 725,560 tourists, an increase of 2.6% from August 2025, while cruise passenger arrivals reached 131,298, representing a 31.9% increase from the same month last year.

The United States remained the leading source market in August, accounting for 44% of tourist arrivals, followed by Canada (9%), Colombia (8%), Argentina (5%), Spain and the United Kingdom (4% each), and Puerto Rico and Mexico (3% each).

Punta Cana International Airport handled the largest share of flights with 49%, followed by Las Américas (29%) and Cibao (14%). Puerto Plata and Higüero each accounted for 3%, while La Romana and Samaná represented 1% each.

Hotel occupancy reached 68% in August, while visitor satisfaction stood at 4.3 out of 5. According to the ministry’s figures, 90% of visitors said they would return to the Dominican Republic, while 60% would recommend the destination to others.