Americans Driving Dominican Republic Travel Rebound

Travel to the Dominican Republic rose sharply in the first quarter of 2021, as American travelers returned to the resort districts of the country that have in recent years been the Caribbean’s most popular vacation destinations.

In March the Dominican Republic hosted 263,857 non-resident foreign passengers, a 56 percent increase compared with February 2021, according to Ministry of Tourism of Dominican Republic (MITUR) data.

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The figure also represents a 3.4 percent increase over the country’s March 2020 arrivals. More than 70 percent of the March 2021 arrivals were American visitors. In addition, more than 40 percent of the March travelers arrived at Punta Cana International Airport.

The country also hosted 3,142 flights from 100 airlines representing more than 40 nations through March 28, a 39 percent increase compared with flight arrivals during February of this year. During the last week of March, flight occupancy of arriving aircrafts reached pre-pandemic levels, MITUR officials said in a statement.

“The March 2021 rebound in international tourism to the Dominican Republic is a clear sign that our reactivation strategy is being successful,” said David Collado, the country’s tourism minister. “This government’s objective has been to regain the international traveler’s confidence, implementing protocols and effective initiatives with impact on the entire value chain, and last month's figures prove that we are on the right track.”

The higher arrival numbers were reflected at hotels and resorts, as Dominican Republic hotel occupancy reached 70.6 percent in the last week of March, the highest figure in the last 12 months, MITUR officials said. The Dominican Republic’s five primary tourist destinations reported occupancy rates above 68 percent.

In addition, “the number of room reservations as of April 1 is even higher than in the years prior to the crisis,” officials said. The volume of nightly room sales for the next 30 days has reached historical highs for the Punta Cana, La Romana and Bayahíbe resort regions.

The Dominican government recently extended its program offering free health insurance to tourists staying in the country’s hotels through April 30.