The Dominican Republic is far ahead of the curve in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the world’s tourism industry. According to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations, the Dominican Republic has attracted more tourists than Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia in 2022, despite being only 175 times smaller than Brazil.
The recovery is even more impressive when considering the secretary general of the UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, revealed in May that the Dominican Republic is above the world average for its rapid recovery in the post-pandemic tourism industry.
The country’s efforts have certainly paid off. Last month, the minister of tourism, David Collado, informed that the Dominican Republic had received more than 4.5 million visitors in the first five months of 2023. Of which, 3.3 million arrived by air and 1.1 million were cruise passengers, “something never seen before”, noted the minister. A large share of the tourism is coming from the United States with 51.6%, Canada with 11.4%, Colombia with 4.2%, Argentina with 4.1%, and Puerto Rico with 3.5%.
The current trends are quite optimistic, with the Minister of Tourism estimating that at the end of the year the Dominican Republic will receive, by air alone, 7.9 million tourists, the largest number of tourists in the country’s history. As the world adjusts to the “new normal” of life after the pandemic, it is clear that the Dominican Republic is leading the way in recovery in the tourism industry.