Orlando, Florida.- The Dominican Republic recently hosted its third tourism Roadshow in Orlando, Florida, drawing over 350 industry professionals, including tour operators, travel agents, and airline representatives. During the event, Tourism Minister David Collado highlighted the nation’s scenic beaches, vibrant culture, and the warmth of its people. Collado also shared impressive growth statistics, detailing post-pandemic tourism increases, new airline routes with carriers like American Airlines, Jet Blue, Copa Airlines, and Delta, and the latest attractions available to visitors. This push aims to solidify the Dominican Republic as a premier Caribbean destination, particularly for the U.S. market.
Collado emphasized the significance of strengthening commercial ties with Orlando, a city home to many Dominican residents and the third-largest U.S. city for Dominican tourists. He noted that the Orlando Airport had already brought in 197,000 Dominican tourists as of September, with a 10% growth forecast for 2024. The Ministry of Tourism highlighted the Roadshow as part of a larger strategy to boost international visibility and sustainably grow the tourism sector.
The U.S. remains the Dominican Republic’s primary source of tourists, with Orlando airport contributing 22% of U.S. tourists by September 2024, up from 19% in 2023. As the top Caribbean tourist destination and the second-largest in Latin America, the Dominican Republic welcomes over 10.5 million visitors annually, including 2 million from cruise ships.