The Dominican Republic has cemented itself as the most visited tourism destination in the Caribbean with tourist arrivals continuing to soar.

Newly-released data from the country’s Ministry of Tourism shows rising numbers with the out-turn for June being just under 645,000 visitors, representing the best June in the history of Dominican tourism. The total number of 644,861 tourists was 9.8 per cent higher than in June 2019, before the pandemic. 

The record-setting number was also 9.8 per cent higher than the same period in 2018, according to Tourism Minister David Collado. So far, 3,547,142 tourists visited the country in 2022.

Hotel occupancy in the country is over 71 per cent with visitors staying for an average of 10 days in the Dominican Republic. The two airports with the most visitors were Punta Cana and Santo Domingo’s Las Americas. 

Santo Domingo reaping benefits

Las Americas is seeing surging numbers passing through that gateway, which has helped buoy a great deal of tourism growth. This is owing to the fact that before the pandemic, the Dominican Republic kicked off a major push to draw tourism to the capital, a strategy which is now bearing fruit. 

Santo Domingo is now regarded as one of the fastest-growing airports in the wider Caribbean, with more and more travellers drawn to the capital, particularly its fascinating Colonial Zone, filled with stunning mid-millennium buildings and a growing art scene. 

Much of the country’s tourism recovery can be attributed to its ultra-liberal testing rules, as during the vast majority of the early pandemic period, the Dom Rep did not require pre-testing for visitors from the US, which is still the case even today.

The only requirement is for visitors to register for an “E-Ticket” on an online portal. The tourism minister explained that the goal is to exceed seven million annual visitors this year, which would be a “historic number in the arrival of tourists to the Dominican Republic.”