It’s no secret that the Dominican Republic is the most popular destination in the Caribbean, as measured by air visitors.
But the country’s cruise industry has quietly been seeing rapid growth, too.
Indeed, the Dominican Republic welcomed just under 867,000 cruise passengers in the first quarter of 2024 across 275 different ships, according to data from the country’s government.
The fast-growing Puerto Plata cruise port led the way, joined by strong numbers in La Romana and Santo Domingo.
That included Taino Bay in Puerto Plata, which saw 101 cruise calls and around 332,000 tourists; and Amber Cove, with 71 ships cramming in just under 318,000 travelers.
Taino Bay is visited by a number of cruise lines, including Norwegian, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean, among others.
The first-quarter total represents an increase of about 8 percent over the same period in 2023.