Cruise passengers arriving through La Romana, spend the most in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic had a clear goal in terms of tourist arrivals: 10 million visitors in 2023. This figure was exceeded when combining the arrival by air, which totaled 8,058,671, with the 2,258,941 cruise passengers who registered in the ports nationwide. As a result, the sector reported US$9,751.0 million, according to data from the Central Bank.

A factor that also influences the income generated by the tourism sector is the spending of cruise passengers. Although the Dominican Port Authority (Apordom) assures and insists that each passenger of the vessels that arrive at Dominican ports disembarks, they do not, per note, and only the lines can confirm that data. Even so, the Central Bank estimates these visitors’ economic spillover.

Regarding the consumption of excursionists who visited the DR during 2023, an average expenditure of US$103.7 was recorded on their visits to the different parts of the country. Specifically, the Central Bank estimates that cruise passengers who arrived through the port of La Romana presented an expenditure of US$111.7, while those who used Santo Domingo and Samaná spent US$86.1 and US$67.0, respectively.

In the first quarter of 2024, 869,385 passengers were registered at cruise terminals, a growth of 8.37% compared to the same period a year earlier, when 802,260 were reported. However, of the total cited in the first three months of the year, 266,632 would be inbound passengers, that is, those who arrive, and 600,197 “in transit,” that is, those who “get off and on the cruise ship while it is in port,” according to El Dinero.

The Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) assures that reaching 10 million visitors would imply an income of US$10,000 million. In the first quarter of this year, 4,475,133 tourists were registered, a variation of 9.51% or 388,496 travelers compared to the 4,086,637 registered between January and June 2023.

However, to surpass the total figure of 8,058,671 tourists recorded in 2023, the country still needs to receive 3,583,538 additional tourists in the next six months.

In addition, if the ambitious goal of 10 million tourists by the end of 2024 is to be reached, the Dominican tourism industry should attract 5,524,867 more visitors before the end of the year.