Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic has kicked off the year 2024 with a significant surge in visitor arrivals, hitting a record-breaking number of 1,063,983 individuals in January, encompassing both air and sea arrivals.
During a meeting with the private sector to present first-quarter projections, Tourism Minister David Collado revealed that the country welcomed 742,229 tourists by air alone in January, marking a 10% increase compared to the same month in 2023. This month marked the first time in the country’s history that the 700,000 tourist barrier for air arrivals was surpassed in January.
Collado also highlighted a new record for cruise passenger arrivals, with 321,754 visitors in the same month, reflecting a 17% growth compared to January 2023.
Combining both air and sea arrivals, the total number of visitors reached 1,063,983 in January. Minister Collado emphasized the achievement, stating, “We did it again, breaking our own records.”
The January 2024 visitor arrivals represent a 41% growth compared to the same month in 2019, a 70% increase from 2022, and an 11% rise from the previous year. Minister Collado predicted that the first quarter of 2024 would conclude with the arrival of 2.3 million tourists.
David Llibre, President of the Hotel and Tourism Association (Asonahores), highlighted that the Dominican Republic has consistently achieved record-breaking tourism arrivals for more than 20 consecutive months, attributing this success to the collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) and the private sector.