Dominican Republic surpasses 10 million tourists in 2023

Dominican Republic surpassed 10 million tourists on December 26th. The Director General of the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute, Hector Porcella, highlighted that this achievement was possible due to the collective efforts of all sectors involved in the national tourism industry.

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The national government established the Tourism Cabinet as a strategic move to accelerate the recovery of tourism in the Dominican Republic. This sector stands as one of the major contributors to the country’s revenue.

Porcella emphasized: “The teamwork led by President Abinader and Minister Collado was a key factor for our country to achieve the feat of leading the recovery of tourism and traffic in Latin America, following the impact of the pandemic.”

Welcoming the 10 Millionth Passenger

The 10 millionth passenger of 2023 was welcomed by the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, at the Punta Cana International Airport. This marks the first time in the country’s history that such a milestone has been reached, thanks to a concerted effort from both the public and private sectors.

According to figures presented by the national government, out of the 10 million passengers who arrived in the Dominican Republic, 7,863,542 were tourists who arrived by air, with the remainder arriving by sea.

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Collado expressed: “Reaching 10 million tourists by air and cruise is an achievement that should fill the entire country with pride, regardless of political affiliations, as each of these visitors is a friend of the country contributing to its development, employment, agriculture, construction, and overall economic growth.”

The Dominican Republic has experienced the most significant growth in tourist arrivals in the entire Caribbean region from 2019 to the present, surging from 6.4 million visitors to over 10 million. Additionally, it has been consistently recognized by various international organizations as the number 1 country in terms of post-Covid tourism recovery.

The Role of Arajet

Undoubtedly, in this surge of passengers to the Dominican Republic, the role played by Arajet deserves special mention. This new airline, based at Las Américas International Airport, commenced operations on September 15, 2022.

With a fleet of 9 Boeing 737-8 aircraft, it serves 23 destinations from the Caribbean nation. This year, it surpassed half a million transported passengers.