It was August 2020, in the heart of the initial reopening period during the pandemic, when the Dominican Republic’s tourism boom largely began. 

At least that’s the date that Tourism Minister David Collado points to. 

But when you look at the numbers, it’s hard to disagree. 

Since August 2020, the country has totaled just under 32 million tourist arrivals — a sustained boom that easily eclipses the rest of the Caribbean. 

Even last month, typically one of the slower periods in Caribbean tourism, the country totaled 811,192 air arrivals, itself a 2 percent jump compared to July 2023 — and a whopping 37 percent higher than July 2019, before the pandemic started. 

It’s “sharp growth,” Collado said in an update this week, and not just in the traditional stronghold of Punta Cana. 

In recent years, thanks to targeted pushes, destinations like Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata and La Romana have all seen their tourism numbers grow significantly, a testament to a destination that continues to pace the region. 

The only question is what’s next. 

Jacqueline Mora, the Dominican Republic’s Vice Minister of Tourism, told Caribbean Journal earlier this year that the goal was to to record 12 million total visitors (that is, cruise and air combined) by the end of 2024. 

So far, it looks like the country is well on its way to realizing that. 

CJ Expert Take: anyone who has been watching the Dominican Republic’s tourism efforts over the last half-decade will admit that the country’s overarching commitment to the industry has been paying off, both in hotel development and overall tourism growth.