Tourism again achieved record levels in April, reaching the arrival of 626,010 non-resident visitors, “which constitutes the best month of April in the history of the Dominican Republic.”
This was revealed by the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, who stated that this growth represents 13% above April 2018, 7% above April 2019 and 91% more than the same month in 2021.
“The recovery of tourism is a reality. We did it again. The growth we achieved in April is unprecedented. It is the best April in the history of Dominican tourism,” said Minister Collado when presenting the numbers recorded by the industry last month.
Among non-resident foreigners, the arrival of tourists was 513,195, which represented a growth of 2% above April 2019 and 5% more than in 2018, while non-resident Dominicans appear with 112,815, 77% higher than April 2019 and 41% compared to the same month of 2018.
Of that number of tourists, 60% arrived through the Punta Cana airport, 23% through Las Américas, 11% through Santiago, 5% through Puerto Plata and the remaining two percent through other air terminals.
Collado stated that the occupation by tourist zone has improved markedly in the different destinations of the country.
In poles such as Bávaro-Punta Cana, occupancy went from 48% to 79%, while in La Romana-Bayahibe the increase was from 48% to 85%.
This increase is also registered in other destinations. Occupation in Samaná is 66%, 61% in Greater Santo Domingo, 60% in Puerto Plata and 55% in Santiago, among others.
Beach renovation
During the presentation of his monthly report on tourist activity in the country, the Minister of Tourism said: “We have to diversify tourism, without forgetting our spearhead, which is the sun and the beaches.”
For Minister Collado, the tourist offer offered by the Dominican Republic must be diversified with a view to ensuring that the beaches for public use have nothing to envy to those found in private areas, in order to continue attracting more visitors who enjoy nature.
Collado pointed out that 87% of tourists who visit the country try the beaches and surrounding areas, so, upon returning from the Caribbean Cruises Fair in Miami, he was motivated to evaluate the conditions in which recreational activities are carried out in those places.
The minister made several tours of different beaches in the country with the tourism marketing and promotion team where they evaluated the opportunities and challenges in these areas so that both the population that engages in domestic tourism and foreigners enjoy a safe public area with conditions to recreate with family.
He reported that the future of the beaches is to have spaces monitored with security cameras, in addition to the installation of wiring to install Wi-Fi connection at specific points so that bathers can share their experience.