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Santo Domingo, DR. – Adding the first day and the first hours of this Monday in December, the Dominican Republic surpassed the mark of 10 million visitors so far in 2024, figures updated by the tourism intelligence system of the Ministry of Tourism, which yesterday convened a event to present the statistics for November and the accumulated figures for the first eleven months of the year.
November became the “best month in the history of tourism,” highlighted the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, revealing that the eleventh month of the year accumulated visitor arrivals of 881,499 by air and by cruise ship for year-on-year growth. 54% above 2019, the month before the pandemic, 15% above 2022 and 2% above last year.
During the first 11 months of the year, the Dominican Republic accumulated 9,134,400 visitors, but in yesterday's special event to report on the behavior of the industry, the Ministry of Tourism added the arrivals of the first day of December and the arrivals of the early hours of Monday to report that the 10 million barrier had been crossed and present a cumulative count since January to reach 10,005,800 visitors to the different tourist centers yesterday Dominicans.
This figure supports the country's goal of exceeding the 11 million visitors that at the end of the year is expected to accumulate in the country, which has already set itself to attract 12 million tourists and cruise passengers by 2025.
In 2023, the Dominican Republic closed with the arrival of 8,031,000 through the airports of the Dominican Republic and 2,250,000 cruise passengers through the ports, to add 10,281,000 visitors, just over a quarter of a million over the goal of ten million set by the Ministry of Tourism.
Luis Abinader optimistic about tourism
During the event, the President of the Republic Luis Abinader and the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, spoke in front of hundreds of special guests made up of hotel leadership, bankers, tourism professionals and specialized journalists.
When taking stock of the sector's behavior so far in years, President Abinader highlighted the impact that tourism has on the Dominican economy and on job creation. He assured that at the end of this year the barrier of 11 million visitors will be broken.
The president said he was very optimistic about tourism and certified that work is being done to strengthen existing destinations and encourage new enclaves, summarizing the expansion of tourism in Puerto Plata with Punta Bergantín, from Punta Cana with its development to Miches and from Pedernales with the new ones. hotels that will open in 2025 and 2026.
“We are going to continue working together. We are going to continue with the public-private alliance that has given us so much results in these four years. We are going to continue working so that we can solve each problem that arises in such a way that we can increase the quantity, but also the quality of the experience that we have. They have tourists who return because they receive good service from each hotelier and because they find a smile in every Dominican,” said the president.
He revealed that in 2025 they will open the first hotel in Pedernales and by 2025 two more hotels from the Pedernales Trust will be ready.
Collado reiterates government support for hoteliers
Summarizing the story told about the government's experience in rescuing tourism after the pandemic thanks to coordinated work with the private sector, the Minister of Tourism guaranteed that the government will continue to firmly support private investments by maintaining incentives through Confotur focused on construction of new hotel rooms and in the renovation of hotels already installed.
“It is a clear and precise signal that we are a government with a pro-employment, pro-development, pro-business tourism cabinet that is very clear that the generation of wealth can only be achieved if we promote the private sector with clear rules,” said Collado. .
He highlighted that supporting tourism is a very serious issue since it is an industry that represents 15% of the Gross Domestic Product and that generates more than a million direct and indirect jobs.
He said that they make up a new generation that has come to the government with a very clear vision and that if at any time they make a mistake, they will return because the time of the pharaohs has already passed.
Recognition of Frank Rainieri and banks specialized in tourism
As part of the activity, President Abinader and Minister Collado presented awards to various institutions and personalities.
In a special way, the Ministry of Tourism recognized Mr. Frank Rainieri, founder of the PuntaCana Group, for his visionary leadership and his commitment to the development of tourism.
Mitur understands that Frank Rainieri's tireless work has been key to the growth of tourism in the Dominican Republic and a fundamental pillar for the development of our industry.
Likewise, the Popular Dominicano, Reservas and BHD banks received recognition, each receiving plaques for their contributions to the development of tourism for the support that they defined as unconditional for the recovery and promotion of tourism in the DR.