Areas in which the Dominican Republic exceeds the Latin American average and those in which it does not are cited

Santo Domingo—The DR is more competitive in tourism than other countries but faces the challenge of distributing the benefits derived from the growth of this sector more equitably.

Precarious results are observed in the distribution of tourism wealth and the quality of essential public services.
The Dominican Republic exhibits levels of competitiveness above the regional average in 5 economic sectors: agriculture, tourism, transportation and logistics, health, and public administration, according to the Sectoral Competitiveness Bulletin (BCS) 2023 of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development.

This result is also observed in the transversal axes: labor market, gender, business climate, and territory, adds the report, according to which tourism, transportation and logistics, public administration, and business climate are the pillars of the country’s competitiveness, by obtaining the highest percentage of indicators with positive results concerning the average of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Even though in these areas, the Dominican Republic is in a favorable position compared to LAC, there are precarious results in some indicators related to a more equitable distribution of the benefits derived from the growth of tourism among the actors involved, the quality of essential public services, compliance with contracts, and the protection of investors.

On the other hand, areas such as industry, energy, education, institutional framework, digital economy, innovation and development, and environment represent the most critical challenges for the country in terms of competitiveness.

These areas are characterized by requiring public policies that promote structural changes to improve their competitiveness, which are visible in the long term.

The report aims to assess the position of the Dominican Republic in terms of regional competitiveness in the different economic sectors, as well as in the transversal axes that affect the development and good performance of the Dominican economy.