The Dominican Republic is experiencing unprecedented growth in tourism, consolidating its position as the leading destination of choice in the Caribbean and Latin America. In 2024, the Dominican Republic reached a record 10.3 million visitors, an impressive figure compared to the 6.4 million in 2019, the last year before the global crisis.
A Significant Economic Impact
This tourism boom has also had a positive impact on the Dominican economy. According to the Ministry of Tourism, tourism revenues have reached 9.7 billion dollars in 2023, an increase of 16% compared to 2022, representing around 12% of the national GDP. Adding revenues for the first half of 2024, the country expects to exceed 11 billion dollars by the end of the year. These results have maintained more than 600,000 direct and indirect jobs, illustrating the importance of tourism to the country’s economic growth.
Diversification of the tourism offer has been one of the driving forces behind this growth: as well as beaches and sunshine, the Dominican Republic has developed ecotourism in Jarabacoa and Bahía de las Águilas, boosted cultural tourism in Santo Domingo, and stimulated medical tourism, which attracted almost 270,000 visitors in 2022.
Infrastructure investment to support growth
To support this expansion, the Dominican Republic has invested more than 1.5 billion dollars in infrastructure projects, such as improvements to airports and cruise ports. These efforts are aimed at facilitating access to the country’s key destinations and improving the experience of travellers. In particular, Punta Cana International Airport has been refurbished to accommodate more passengers, while major work has been carried out at other sites, including Cibao Airport, which is benefiting from an upgrade worth more than $500 million.
A Commitment to Sustainability
The Dominican Republic is also focusing on sustainability to ensure the viability of its tourism model. Environmental initiatives have been put in place, particularly in protected areas such as Los Haitises and the Dunes of Baní, with zero-plastic policies and the use of renewable energy sources. In 2024, the Ministry of Tourism launched the development of a national sustainability strategy to strengthen the positive impact of the sector.
The country has won awards for its efforts in the field of sustainable development. In 2023, it received the ‘Leading Destination in the Caribbean’ award at the World Travel Awards, and several of its beaches, such as Bávaro and Macao, were ranked among the best in the world. These awards reinforce the Dominican Republic’s international reputation as an environmentally friendly destination, attractive to both luxury travellers and those wishing to discover unspoilt nature.
Diversified opportunities: Health, Sport and Meetings
Medical tourism is booming, with hundreds of thousands of visitors coming for quality medical treatment at competitive prices. The country even plans to attract more than 500,000 medical tourists by 2028. At the same time, the strategy to promote sports tourism, presented at Fitur in 2024, aims to use sporting events as a tourism lever, and the country organised more than 40 international events in 2024 alone.
Meetings tourism has also gained in importance, with the 118th Executive Council of the World Tourism Organisation to be held in 2023, highlighting the Dominican Republic as a top destination for international conferences and business events.
An encouraging outlook for the future
According to Julia Simpson, President of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the sector is expected to contribute $19.4 billion to GDP by the end of 2024, representing a 12.6% increase on pre-pandemic levels. Forecasts for the next decade also remain optimistic, with a target of $27 billion by 2034.
Thanks to diversified initiatives, strategic investments and a clear commitment to sustainability, the Dominican Republic continues to strengthen its appeal. It is positioning itself as a model for other tourist destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Source: Ministerio de Turismo
