Colombians lead LATAM travelers to the Dominican Republic
Tourism is just beginning to heal from covid-19. Today, more than ever, the importance of sustainable tourism can be made visible worldwide.
Its diversification and continued growth is relevant in the industry despite its slow recovery, and the business equals or even exceeds the profits from the export of oil or automobiles.
In fact, the Secretary General of the UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, expressed in a recent statement for the recovery of tourism that:
“This crisis gives us the opportunity to rethink what the tourism sector should be like and its contribution to people and the planet; the opportunity that, by rebuilding it, the sector is better, more sustainable, inclusive and resilient, and that the benefits of tourism are spread widely and fairly.”
Colombians increased their desire to travel in 2022. According to relevant sources, in the first four months of the year, 1,244,261 entries into the country and 1,482,890 departures of Colombians were reported, which although similar to the figures reached in pre pandemic, are considerably higher.
Falabella’s travel agency conducted a recent study to analyze the tourist behavior of Colombians. In this, it was possible to show that the trend of travel in summer (June, July and August) is towards international destinations, in 63%.
In the statistics resulting from the study, Cancun, Mexico, leads as the first option for Colombians to do tourism with 33%. It is followed by the Dominican Republic with 22%; however, this second did not lead tourism surveys a long time ago.
The Circle of Latin American Studies (CESLA) made a pre-pandemic analysis of the Dominican Republic and its trend towards tourism in which it was recorded:
“2019 was a turbulent year for Dominican tourism, registering a cumulative drop of 4.6%. In the first month of the new year, the situation did not improve for the sector, once again suffering a decrease in the arrival of non-resident foreigners”.
So far in 2022, Colombians have chosen new destinations for tourism and one of them is the Dominican Republic. According to data presented by Despegar, the Latin American country that has chosen the Dominican Republic the most to vacation in 2022 has been Colombia. In the top 5 they are followed by Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Peru.
According to Inés Hochstadter, Country Manager of Despegar Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, “there is a growing interest in the Dominican Republic from Latin American travelers, which is reflected in the growth of searches by 67% in 2022 versus 2021”. But what is it due to?
Dominican Republic: a country that flies in tourism
According to a report by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), published on August 2nd, the Dominican Republic registers a strong tourism recovery. “The island has had an outstanding performance during the pandemic; despite the 2020 economic contraction; Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the tourism sector reached US$942 million”.
In 2021, the economy of the Dominican Republic recovered and reached pre-pandemic growth, according to the same organization. About 38% of said recovery was the product of the tourism sector, recovering more than 300,000 jobs; being one of the first countries to reopen its borders.
It is also recorded that the economic fabric of the Dominican Republic has changed significantly, going from a primary economy to one fed by the service economy.
All this, added to the few requirements that a Colombian needs to do tourism in a foreign country, makes the destination a perfect opportunity to travel on vacation.
What does a Colombian need to travel as a tourist to the Dominican Republic?
Colombians do not need a visa. Only a valid passport for at least six months and a tourist card that can be easily obtained at the Dominican consulate located in Bogotá, or at the airports.
Although the Dominican country must continue promoting sustainable green financing instruments and schemes so that destinations can be preserved as natural and sustainable assets, the improvement of the sector is evident, which is why it easily attracts not only Colombians, but also all foreigners around.
Source: El Heraldo