The arrival of tourists by sea to the Dominican Republic has been recovering after a period of pause due to restrictions imposed by countries to minimize the spread of COVID-19, which limited the arrival of foreigners.
The Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) recorded that, in March of this 2022, 41 ships arrived in the country from different parts of the world with 131,234 passengers, some 128,946 cruise passengers more than those who arrived in the same month of 2021, when the number of people was 2,288.
The flow of visitors who used ships to travel to the country during the first quarter of 2022 was higher at the end of March. During January and February, 90,234 and 96,644 tourists arrived, which, added to the March visitors, totaled 318,112.
On average, 85% of the non-resident travelers were foreigners and the rest were Dominicans. In that order, and according to Mitur’s daily report, on March 26 the largest number of people arrived during that month: some 23,757.
Maritime operations have maintained a gradual pace of growth, with the ports of Amber Cove and Taino Bay, both in Puerto Plata, receiving the largest number of ships in the first quarter of this year.
The evolution of this type of tourism, after the adversities faced by the country, has been satisfactory and promises to continue to evolve over time, said the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, upon receiving an award in recognition of cruise tourism in the country.
The day before yesterday, the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) highlighted the maritime tourism activity of the Dominican Republic, recognizing the efforts made in the country to have ports properly equipped to receive tourists.
Collado assured that the figures will continue to increase because the Government will encourage the country to be an attractive destination for cruise tourism due to the natural beauty of the island.
In the beginning, cruise tourism was more used by the segment of the population with greater purchasing power. Over the years, this attractive way of traveling has become more popular and has had an impact on the country’s economy.
DR to host the Cruise Federation
It was just over two years ago, in April 2020, that Dominican authorities closed ports nationwide, putting maritime tourism activity on hold as a strategy to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. But in September the country will host the meeting of the World Cruise Federation, informed the Minister of Tourism.
Collado explained the details during his participation in the Cruise Fair in Miami, in which the Dominican Republic participates and through which he seeks to promote this type of activity in the country.
