Dominican Republic had a clear goal in terms of tourist arrivals: 10 million visitors in 2023, a figure that was surpassed by combining arrivals by air, which totaled 8,058,671, plus the 2,258,941 cruise passengers who were registered in ports nationwide. As a result, the sector reported US$9,751.0 million, according to data from the Central Bank.
A factor that also influences the income generated by the tourism sector is the spending of cruise passengers. Although the Dominican Port Authority (Apordom) insist that each of the passengers on the ships that arrive at Dominican ports disembark, they do not stay overnight and only the lines can confirm this information. Even so, the Central Bank makes estimates on the economic impact of these visitors.
Regarding the consumption of the excursionists who visited the DR during 2023, an average expenditure of US$103.7 was recorded during their visit to the different ports of the country. Specifically, the Central Bank estimates that cruise passengers who arrived at the port of The Roman presented an expenditure of US$111.7, while those who used the Santo Domingo and Samana They spent US$86.1 and US$67.0, respectively.
In the first quarter of 2024, 869,385 passengers were registered at cruise terminals, for an increase of 8.37% compared to the same period a year earlier, when 802,260 were reported. However, of the total number mentioned in the first three months of the year, 266,632 would be inbound passengers, that is, those who arrive, and 600,197 “in transit”, that is, those who “get on and off the cruise ship while it is in port,” according to El Dinero.
From the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) say that reaching 10 million visitors would mean an income of US$10 billion. In the first quarter of this year, 4,475,133 tourists were registered, a variation of 9.51% or 388,496 travelers compared to the 4,086,637 registered between January and June 2023.
However, to exceed the total number of 8,058,671 tourists recorded in 2023, the country still needs to receive 3,583,538 additional tourists in the next six months.
Furthermore, if the goal is to reach the ambitious target of 10 million tourists by the end of 2024, the Dominican tourism industry will need to attract 5,524,867 more visitors before the end of the year.
