During the first month of 2022, 530,956 non-residents arrived in the country (129% above the previous year), of which 82% were of foreign origin, reaffirming that the Dominican Republic continues to lead in tourist arrivals in the Caribbean, revealed Minister David Collado.
Collado, gave these statements at a press conference, where he expressed that the projection for the end of this year is to exceed the arrival of 7 million visitors.
Despite the cancellations of flights from the United States to the Dominican Republic due to the snowstorms that affected the East Coast of the American giant, in January 2022 the arrival of non-residents remained above half a million tourists, as in the best months of 2021.
Likewise, the emergence of the Omicron variant and the consequent tightening of measures affected the arrival of Canadians in the country, but it was not enough for non-residents from the rest of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) to record an all-time high of 245,301.
At the press conference, Minister Collado was accompanied by Rafael Blanco Tejera and Andrés Maranzini, president and executive vice-president of the Dominican Association of Hotels and Tourism (ASONAHORES), respectively; Ramón Roselló, executive director of Inverotel; the vice-ministers of Tourism, Jacqueline Mora and Roberto Henríquez, among other officials and businessmen.
Tourist arrivals in detail
Punta Cana airport concentrated 55% of total non-resident arrivals during January 2022. The airports of Las Americas, Santiago and La Romana remained above the figures for January 2021.
Sixty percent of tourists stayed in hotels, with an average stay of 11 days. Tourists received in January 2022 were mainly from the family and adult segments.
Airspace
Preliminary estimates from the Ministry of Tourism suggest that total inbound commercial flights to the Dominican Republic in January 2022 were 5,120 flights on 149 different airlines from 169 different airports.
Hotel Activity
In January 2022, 9 out of 10 hotel rooms remained in operation, and of these, 73% were occupied. Guests were 89% of foreign origin. Hotel occupancy in the Dominican Republic already resembles the occupancy levels characteristic of the pre-pandemic years. The recovery of the hotel industry has been a generalized phenomenon in all areas of the country.
Maritime arrivals
In the first month of 2022, 165,516 maritime arrivals were received, of which 1,379 were ferry passengers and 75,022 crew members.
2022 Estimates
Starting the year with two hotel project approvals totaling US$34 million and 267 rooms, increasingly lax border restrictions, and room night bookings 19% above 2019, more than 7 million tourist arrivals are expected for 2022 (9% more than 2019 and 7% higher than 2018).
