Country handled 3.812 million passengers in the first quarter of 2022

Tourism continues to boom to the Dominican Republic, surging during the first quarter of 2022.

Passenger data from Dom Rep’s Civil Aviation Department shows that the country, long regarded as the most popular tourism destination in the Caribbean by visitor volume, posted a sizzling first quarter. Only a few Caribbean destinations have seen similar tourism recoveries amid the pandemic, most notably the United States Virgin Islands.

The data shows that the Dominican Republic handled 3.812 million passengers in the first quarter of 2022, including just under 1.3 million in January across a total of 28,781 flights.

Last February the country handled 1,177,647 passengers, which is three times the number from February 2021, which represented the country’s best month for passenger traffic since the onset of the pandemic.

In all, 266 different commercial airlines from around the world flew to the country in the first quarter with early estimates showing that this number will expand next month with the debut of the new Dominican Republic-based airline, Arajet. 

Pushing other locations than Punta Cana

While much of the country’s success has been in its traditional tourism stronghold of Punta Cana, the country is working to push other destinations — most notably Santo Domingo, which continues to see growth, both in hospitality traffic and the addition of new air routes.

Jose Carte Piantini, president of the Civil Aviation Department, remarked that “these operations demonstrate confidence in the strength of the Dominican market”.

The numbers continue what has been stellar tourism growth for the country throughout most of the pandemic, buoyed by what had been the region’s most liberal entry health protocols.

At present, the Dominican Republic did not require pre-testing for visitors from the US.