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Santo Domingo.- The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) has reported preliminary results of economic activity for the period from January to October 2024. It should be noted that the tourism sector, specifically hotels, bars and restaurants, experienced a growth of 6% compared to the same period of 2023.
This growth is mainly attributed to the significant increase in passenger arrivals at various airports during the specified period. According to projections from the Ministry of Tourism, the country expects to receive 11.5 million visitors by air and sea by the end of 2024.
The expansion of the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE) in January-October consolidates the position of the Dominican Republic as the fastest growing economy among its Latin American peers. This is in line with forecasts from international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which anticipate that the Dominican economy will close the year with a growth of 5.1%.
The interannual variation of the IMAE of 5.1% in January-October 2024 is mainly driven by the performance of the services sector activities, which together exhibited a cumulative increase of 5.3% compared to the same period of the previous year. Notable subsectors include financial intermediation (7.9%), transportation and warehousing (5.8%), real estate and rental activities (5.7%), and communications (5.2%).
In addition, local manufacturing increased 7.1% in October, with accumulated growth of 4.4% in January-October 2024. Free zone manufacturing grew on average 6.5% during the first ten months of the year and 5 .8% in October 2024.