Source: Punta Cana Airport
The Dominican Republic has seen a significant increase in tourists from Colombia, particularly in the Punta Cana region, where the South American nation has managed to outnumber Germany, Spain, and England in terms of the number of travelers arriving at the well-liked Caribbean vacation spot. According to Rafael Alberto Smith, director of operations at the Punta Cana International Airport, “the new air frequencies have been key to the increase in passengers, highlighting the routes from Colombia, with a contribution of 292,295 passengers, or 5% of the total in recent months, well above traditional markets such as Germany, Spain, and England.”
According to him, 430,129 tourists entered the nation in September, with the Punta Cana airport receiving 57% of that influx. The terminal’s manager stated that over the past few months, 1,175,875 passengers from Asia, Europe, North America, and the Caribbean entered and exited the country through the terminal, setting a record for transits. “July 2022 had 188,192 more passengers than the previous year in terms of movement and passenger traffic through the Punta Cana International Airport,” he continued.
Smith stated that the year 2022 is expected to end with an increase of 6% in comparison to the previous year, which would be 3,939,806 arriving and 4,046,702 departing. He noted that 4,942,244 travelers have passed through the PUJ so far this year. That is, 2,446,939 arrival passengers and 2,495,305 departure passengers, with the US market accounting for 45% of these passengers (2,206,317), Canada for 13% (644,192), and Panama for 7% (334,193).