February: DR welcomes over 1 million visitors

Santo Domingo.-  The Dominican Republic has once again outstripped its own February benchmark, welcoming 1,057,216 visitors, marking a remarkable 19% increase.

This announcement was made by David Collado, the Minister of Tourism, during a recent podcast held at the institution’s headquarters where he presented the month’s industry outcomes.

Air arrivals accounted for 755,832 tourists in February alone, reflecting a 14% surge compared to the same period last year, and staggering growth rates of 33% and 25% when juxtaposed with 2022 and 2019 respectively.

The surge in arrivals extended to sea travel as well, with 301,384 cruise passengers gracing the Dominican ports in February. Taino Bay witnessed the highest footfall with 117,876 passengers, followed by Amber Cove with 90,089, La Romana with 69,136, Catalina Island with 10,153, and Santo Domingo with 2,016.

The influx of cruise passengers represents a significant 19% spike compared to the previous year, an astounding 208% surge over 2022, and an impressive 159% increase compared to 2019.

Minister Collado, visibly impressed, exclaimed, “Incredible. We’ve surpassed our own records yet again. 1,057,216 visitors in February alone.”

Punta Cana airport received the majority of non-resident tourists at 59.7%, followed by Las Américas (AILA) at 21%, and Cibao at 9.5%.

Collado optimistically projected that the country could anticipate more than 11 million visitors by year-end, forecasting the best winter season in the history of Dominican tourism.