People walk past sargassum clumps on the sand in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in July. File Photo by Orlando Barria/EPA
The Dominican Republic opened the year with 1.22 million tourists in January, a 5.5% increase compared with the same month last year. The increase was driven by growth in air arrivals and sustained demand from the United States.
Tourist arrivals to the island by air surpassed the 800,000-passenger mark for the first time in a single month, posting year-over-year growth of 8.7%, according to the Ministry of Tourism,. The figure exceeds pre-pandemic levels and is 61% higher than recorded in January 2019.
“Receiving 1,219,606 visitors for the first time in the history of Dominican tourism tells us how extraordinary this year will be for the sector,” Dominican Republic Tourism Minister David Collado said.
Collado held meetings in New York with representatives of JPMorgan, Bank of America, Standard & Poor’s and American Express, as well as other key players in the international financial system, as part of a strategic agenda to position tourism as the country’s leading productive sector.
According to information released Thursday by the presidency, Collado presented projections for Dominican tourism for this year, highlighting the sector’s sustained growth and predicting that if the current trend continues, 2026 could close with new record figures for the industry.
Dominican tourism continues to position itself as a reliable destination for investment, authorities said, backed by what they describe as “a vision of sustainable development that inspires confidence in international markets.”
According to information from the Ministry of Tourism, North America is the main source market for tourists to the island, accounting for 59% of air arrivals, led by the United States and Canada. Latin America also showed solid performance and expanded its share of total visitors.
Punta Cana accounted for the largest share of the country’s air traffic during the month. The cruise segment recorded a slight decline compared with the same period last year, while hotel occupancy averaged 82% nationwide during peak season.
Tourism is one of the main generators of foreign exchange and employment. In 2025, the country received more than 11.6 million visitors, consolidating its position as the Caribbean’s leading tourist destination.
As part of its international promotion strategy, the Ministry of Tourism signed a strategic alliance with Visa Inc., making the Dominican Republic the first country in the Caribbean to finalize an agreement of this kind with the global payments company.
The alliance includes joint campaigns, targeted promotions and exclusive benefits for international travelers, with emphasis on key markets such as the United States, Canada, Europe and Latin America.
The Dominican Republic is projected to be the fastest-growing economy in Latin America and the Caribbean in the coming years, according to the most recent forecasts by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Growth projections for 2026 place real GDP expansion between 4.0% and 4.5%, positioning the country as one of the economic leaders in the Caribbean region.
In that scenario, tourism is a strategic engine and the backbone of the Dominican economy. Its role is not only to generate revenue, but also to act as a catalyst for other key sectors, such as construction, commerce and transportation.
In 2025, the sector contributed approximately $21.1 billion, representing about 16% of the gross domestic product.
