In a first in the history of the Caribbean, a destination has topped 10 million visitors in a single year.
The Dominican Republic officially hit the milestone this week, when American Ariana Guilak arrived on an American Airlines plane from Miami.
The 10 million number includes both air arrivals and cruise visitors: that included 7.86 million air arrivals, and another 2.16 million cruise passenger arrivals.
Both were, of course, all-time records for the Dominican Republic.
“Reaching 10 million tourists between air and cruise ships is a fact that should fill the entire country with pride, since each of these visitors are friends of the country who contribute to development, employment, to the countryside, to construction and to the entire productive apparatus of the country continuing to grow,” said Dominican Republic Tourism Minister David Collado.
Dominican officials estimate the visitors’ impact at some $11 billion.
The country welcomed Guilak with a special ceremony, while holding similar celebrations at airports around the country, including in Santo Domingo, Santiago and Puerto Plata’s two cruise ports.