The decision to keep its borders open and to encourage tourists despite the ravishes of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has paid off for the Dominican Republic.

According to analytics firm ForwardKeys, tourist arrivals there has rebounded and is now down by just -36.3 per cent in November and December compared to the same period in 2019. This compares favourably against the rest of the Caribbean which saw arrivals collapse by -49 per cent year-on-year.

In July 2020, the Dominican Republic saw international visitor arrivals crash by 90 per cent. This gain of 55 per cent is not the only source of good news for the country. After putting in place a “ Plan for the Responsible Recovery of Tourism,” the country is now seeing a higher rate of returning tourists than the rest of the Caribbean tourism destinations.

On the increase of tourists coming to the country, ForwardKeys VP of Insights, Olivier Ponti said: “The Dominican Republic is a really good example of how governments should be handling this current COVID-19 crisis as you can see through this chart the peaks and troughs of international arrivals pending on government announcements and the safety measures put in place.”

“The other important point worth mentioning is keeping your borders open. Just like Mexico and other destinations in the Caribbean, intra-regional travel greatly benefited from travellers keen to escape the US,” he added.

The Dominican Republic continues to be a strong destination for American travellers and the Caribbean hotspot aggressively markets in that continent.

ForwardKeys reveals data that shows that the top three cities for tickets travelling to the Dominican Republic are New York, Miami and Boston.

Many Americans are experiencing COVID-fatigue and are getting away to the Dominican Republic for some sun, sea and relaxation this winter.

ForwardKeys also noted that it wasn’t just Visiting Friends and Relations (VFR) keen to travel to the Dominican Republic. According to its latest findings for the second half of 2020, just 17.8 per cent of visitors were from the VFR segment while 73 per cent of the market share came from the Leisure segment.

Traditionally, it was couples making their way to the Dominican Republic but in 2020, there has been a vast increase in ‘singles ready to mingle.’ For the second half of 2020, this segment accounted for 35 per cent of market share, an increase of 10 per cent on the prior year.

So what accounts for this change in visitor profile?

Liliana Cruz from the Intelligence Unit of the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Tourism said: “Teleworking in this pandemic has made possible the dream of working from the beach, the mountain and any other tourist spot. The Dominican Republic has emerged as the perfect destination for that because of the top and robust structure built to protect our visitors. Our Plan for the Responsible Recovery of Tourism includes, among other features, full medical and traveller free insurance against COVID-19 and other illnesses for our tourists, rigourous implementation of internationally approval protocols and the most active policies to preserve the health of our people and our visitors.”

The Dominican Republic’s Minister of Tourism, David Collado added: “ There are a few reasons why the Dominican Republic appeals to single travellers. Firstly, single travellers tend to engage in more activities, so they are attracted by the hiking, kayaking, surfing, wildlife and birdwatching that are in such abundance in the destination. As people return to travel, these socially distant activities taking place in our beautiful, big, open national parks and long beaches are particularly appealing. It’s also a very safe and welcoming country which is always a key consideration for single travellers. We have globally recognized hotel brands, which give a sense of security for those travelling alone, but also small hotels with a warm family welcome that provide a friendly environment in which to meet other travellers.”

World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary-General Zurab Poloikashvili publicly commended the Dominican Republic for the travel and safety protocols the country has put in place to ensure visitor’s safety amid the global pandemic.

Last week, TripAdvisor, one of the world’s largest travel platforms named Dominican Republic to its list of the 20 most popular destinations in the world for 2021. The list was released as part of TripAdvisor’s annual Best of the Best Awards recognizing travellers’ favourite destinations worldwide.

Dominican Republic came in at number 19.