Dominican Republic Sets New Visitors Arrival Record In First Half Of The Year
According to officials from the civil aviation agency of the Dominican Republic, the nation has achieved a remarkable milestone in the first half of the year. The country welcomed a record-breaking number of 7.18 million passengers who traveled through its airports between January and May. This surge in arrivals highlights the growing popularity and appeal of the Dominican Republic as a sought-after destination for travelers from around the world.
According to data from the Junta de Aviación Civil (JAC) mentioned in a Dominican Today article, arrivals to the Dominican Republic in 2023 reflect a 17 percent year-over-year, rise after several years of being the most popular Caribbean destination among American tourists.
JAC has implemented “a comprehensive set of measures aimed at increasing traveler flows to and from the country,” said José Marte Piantini, JAC’s president. According to Piantini, 4,069,335 travelers used Punta Cana International Airport in the first five months of 2023, making it the busiest airport.
With 2,062,795 passengers, Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo came in second. According to Piantini, Punta Cana and Santo Domingo airports handled 83 percent of all inbound and outbound passenger traffic.
Puerto Plata International Airport handled 362,421 passengers during the same period this year, compared to 772,692 passengers at Santiago de los Caballeros International Airport.
According to David Collado, the Dominican Republic’s Tourism Minister, the country recorded 2,076,171 overnight, land-based visitor arrivals during the first quarter, which is in line with the JAC figures.
Callado said the first quarter arrivals represent an 11% increase over 2019, a 190% increase over 2021, and a 21% increase over 2022.
In addition, the Dominican Republic set a new record for total tourists in the first quarter, with 2,882,698 travelers arriving by air and 806,527 cruise passengers.
Collado expects the Dominican Republic to receive 7.8 million tourists in 2023, breaking the previous high of 7.54 million tourists set in 2019.