Caribbean Today News

Dominican Republic surpasses 6 million visitors in first half of the year

The Dominican Republic welcomed 6,145,008 visitors during the first six months of 2025—its highest tourism figure in history. This represents an increase of nearly 2 million visitors compared to the same period in 2019 and over 185,000 more than last year.

President Luis Abinader and Tourism Minister David Collado announced the record-breaking figures at an event in Santo Domingo, emphasizing the sector’s vital role in the national economy. President Abinader noted that the country’s tourism boom, driven by strong public-private collaboration, makes this the ideal time to invest in the sector.

Minister Collado highlighted that the January–June total includes 4.5 million air travelers and a historic 1.63 million cruise passengers. He reported a 48% increase over 2019, 15% over 2023, and 3% over 2024.

The majority of visitors came from the United States (45%), Canada (18%), Argentina (6%), and Colombia (4%). The busiest airports were Punta Cana, Las Américas, and Cibao. Hotel occupancy during this period surpassed 77%.

Collado projected that, at this pace, the country could reach 12 million visitors by year’s end, marking an unprecedented peak for Dominican tourism.