Central America and the Dominican Republic continue to make progress in a key context for the tourism industry.
Despite facing an unprecedented challenge, the bloc has been working considerably since 2020 to mitigate and reactivate the sector, achieving positive results with very encouraging forecasts for the short, medium and long term.
According to data from the Secretariat for Central American Tourism Integration, SITCA, the member countries of the Central American Integration System, SICA, received in 2021; a total of 11.1 million visitors, of which 86% were tourists and 14% excursionists. The data for 2021, in contrast to the previous year, represent a 75.8% growth in visits, influencing the increase of 49.8% in total visitors.
In terms of revenue generation, there was also an 84% increase compared to 2020. Some of the main determining factors for the recovery to date have been the percentage of the population vaccinated, the reduction of travel restrictions, and the promotion of domestic and intraregional tourism.
This has allowed the return of leisure agendas where nature continues to be the favorite along with culture and adventure, opening the doors for a more robust recovery during the second half of 2022.
The figures coincide with reports made by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which has indicated that in 2021 the Americas registered one of the best results compared to 2020, but particularly Central America and the Dominican Republic stood out with a significant increase of 54%.
