Dominican Republic Reports Positive Recovery Numbers

The Dominican Republic is reporting positive data as international tourism to the Caribbean destination recovers.

In March, the D.R. welcomed 263,857 non-resident foreign passengers, a 56% increase compared to February, and 3.4% over March 2020.

Over 70% of those arrivals were American tourists, and more than 40% of travellers arrived through Punta Cana International Airport.

As of March 28, 3,142 flights from 100 airlines from more than 40 countries have arrived in the country, a 39% increase compared to February. For the first time, in the last week of March, the flight occupancy of aircraft arriving in the country reached pre-pandemic levels.

The island’s tourism minister, David Collado observed: “The March 2021 rebound in international tourism to Dominican Republic is a clear sign that our reactivation strategy is being successful. This government’s objective has been to regain the international traveller’s confidence, implementing protocols and effective initiatives with impact on the entire value chain, and last month’s figures prove that we are on the right track.”

Other figures that show Dominican Republic’s tourism recovery are hotel occupancy and flight and room reservations.

During the last week of March, hotel occupancy reached 70.6%, the highest figure in the last 12 months. The five main tourist destinations in the country registered occupancy rates above 68%.

As far as flight bookings, the seven main airlines operating in the country registered an increase for the year’s second quarter. Additionally, the number of room reservations as of April 1 is even higher than in the years prior to the crisis. The volume of nightly room sales for the next 30 days has reached historical highs for Punta Cana and La Romana – Bayahíbe.

Dominican authorities trust that as the world’s vaccinations progress, international tourist arrivals to the country will continue to increase.