IMF highlights Dominican Republic’s economic performance: tourism revenue could attract US$12.2 billion
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission, Michael Perks, highlighted the “admirable performance of the Dominican economy” and welcomed the recent improvement in the country’s credit rating by Fitch Ratings, which raised it from BB- to BB with a stable outlook.
This strong performance is due, among other factors, to a boom in the tourism sector, with projections of US$12.2 billion in arrivals by the end of 2026, according to the Central Bank.
Perks, part of the IMF’s Article IV mission delegation, congratulated the country on its greater exchange rate flexibility, which has helped absorb external shocks, and offered his cooperation to further strengthen the national economy to face geopolitical and commodity risks with greater resilience and proactivity.
During a meeting with the governor of the Central Bank, Héctor Valdez Albizu, the organization’s executive positively assessed the monetary institution’s recent 25-basis-point increase in the monetary policy rate as a precautionary measure against inflationary threats and the possible effects of a second round.
He concluded his remarks by reaffirming the IMF’s full willingness to continue collaborating with the country on advising and implementing economic and financial policies.
Meanwhile, Valdez Albizu highlighted that “despite the complex international environment, the Dominican economy has maintained a better performance than expected, with an expansion of 5.6% in September, accumulating 4.6% in the January-September period of 2026.”
He noted that “looking ahead, the momentum of investment and the resilience of the external sector are expected to contribute to growth of around 4.5% by the end of 2026, one of the highest in the region.”
Regarding September growth, Valdez Albizu said that among the sectors that contributed to the economy’s expansion, construction (18%), mining and quarrying (17.9%), and financial services (6.9%) stand out.
He told IMF officials that “the dynamism of foreign exchange generating activities, of which some 50.7 billion dollars are expected by the end of this year, has contributed to the relative stability of the exchange rate, with an accumulated appreciation of the peso of around 4.0% to date.”
He also told the mission that “by the end of 2026, the external sector is expected to maintain a good performance, with a projected current account deficit of around 1.0% of gross domestic product, which would be financed almost four times by foreign direct investment of around $5.349 billion.”
