Santo Domingo.- The tourism sector in the Dominican Republic, while celebrating an important milestone in February 2024 with a record 1,057,216 visitors, faces pressing challenges that require immediate attention.
Chief among these challenges, as identified by officials, is the issue of air connectivity and the associated high cost of airfares. Despite a notable increase in visitor arrivals by air, which totaled 755,832 in February alone, the prohibitive cost of flights remains a deterrent for many potential travelers.
The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, stressed the urgency of addressing this issue to ensure sustainable growth of the tourism industry.
A second critical challenge revolves around the shortage of hotel accommodation. With demand increasing, the country needs approximately 30,000 additional rooms to adequately serve tourists.
While around 16,000 rooms are currently being built, representing an investment of $9 billion, there is still a long way to go to close this gap and provide a quality accommodation experience for all visitors.
An analysis of travel motivations in February 2024 reveals a wide range of activities attracting visitors to the country.
Sports tourism, with 4.4%, visits with friends (4.5%), business trips (4.4%), weddings (4.3%) and medical consultations (4.4%) emerge as some of the main reasons for traveling to the Dominican Republic during this period.
Collado expressed optimism about the future of the sector, citing continued growth in tourist arrivals and projecting a year-end total of more than 11 million visitors.
In terms of air connectivity, in February 2024 a total of 5,873 flights were registered in Dominican airspace, reflecting an increase of 15% compared to the previous year.
This rebound in air activity underscores the critical need to address ticket costs and improve air accessibility as top priorities to strengthen the country’s tourism sector.