Tourism in the Dominican Republic Is Reaching New Heights
From the bustling streets of Santo Domingo to the white sands of Bávaro Beach and the cool mountain breezes of Jarabacoa, the Dominican Republic is drawing more travelers than ever before. In the first seven months of 2025, the country welcomed 7,197,844 visitors — the highest number in its history for this period, Caribbean Journal has learned.
Tourism in the Dominican Republic is reaching new heights, with the country welcoming more than 7.1 million visitors between Jan. and July 2025 — the highest number in its history for the first seven months of a year.
The figure of 7,197,844 visitors represents a 3.2 percent increase over the same period in 2024, a 14 percent jump compared to 2023, and a 49 percent gain over 2019 levels, according to Tourism Minister David Collado.
Of the total, 5,377,878 travelers arrived by air, up 1.7 percent year over year. Cruise arrivals also contributed to the growth, with 1,819,966 visitors coming by sea — a 3.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
“These two historic arrival figures give us a total of 7,197,844 visitors in seven months, a record in the history of Dominican tourism,” Collado said.
The momentum continued in July, when the Dominican Republic welcomed 863,785 air arrivals — 6.5 percent higher than July 2024. Combined with 189,051 cruise passengers, the country saw a total of 1,052,836 visitors for the month. That represents a 3.4 percent increase over last year, 12 percent over 2023, and 56 percent above 2019.
That was probably the strongest sign of the year: big growth in air arrivals after several months of middling numbers in that regard.
The United States remained the leading source market, accounting for 52 percent of arrivals, followed by Canada with 7 percent. Argentina and Puerto Rico each contributed 6 percent, while Colombia (4 percent), Mexico (3 percent), and Spain, Brazil and Chile (2 percent each) rounded out the top markets.
Most visitors arrived through Punta Cana International Airport, which handled 59 percent of all air passengers. Santo Domingo’s Las Américas Airport followed with 23 percent, and Santiago’s Cibao Airport with 13 percent. Puerto Plata received 3 percent, while La Romana and other airports accounted for 1 percent each.
And then there are destinations like Samana, home to one of the most unique hotels in the Dominican Republic.
Caitlin Sullivan began her career with Caribbean Journal as Arts and Culture editor before shifting to travel full time. She writes frequently on the Caribbean cruise industry, flight networks and broader travel news. Her most frequent Caribbean destination? Nassau.
