by Brian Major
Last updated: 5:00 PM ET, Thu January 22, 2015
Photo: Alsol's Jewels at Cap Cana resort is one of many Dominican Republic resorts to open in recent years. (Photo by Brian Major)
After a record-setting 2014, the Dominican Republic is halfway to the goal of 10 million annual visitors set last year by Danilo Medina, the country's president. Dominican Republic airports recorded a record 5,141,377 non-resident arrivals in 2014, according to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic. The figure is an 8.8 percent increase over 2013, representing an additional 451,607 arrivals.
Already the most-visited destination among the 28 tracked by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the Dominican Republic posted consistently strong visitor arrivals throughout 2014. Airport arrivals topped 500,000 during the months of March, May and December. In addition, arrivals exceeded 400,000 in each of eight months of 2014.
In September, traditionally the Caribbean's slow season, the Dominican Republic recorded its fewest arrivals for any month of 2014, with 282,321. The September total exceeds the reported 2014 arrival numbers for 16 CTO countries.
Francisco Javier Garcia, the country's tourism minister, called 2014 "An extraordinary year for the tourism industry" in an interview on the DominicanToday.com website.
He predicted that 2015 "will be better," noting that arrivals from the U.S., the country's largest market, increased 12.7 percent in December 2014. In addition the opening of a series of new resorts and the ongoing restoration of the Santo Domingo historic district, the country opened 273 kilometers of new roads and highways in 2014. The 2014 completion of a highway connecting Santo Domingo with Punta Cana sliced the driving time between the cities from four hours to two, increasing traveler options.
In December the Dominican Republic welcomed two new premium-class, all-inclusive resorts. The 48-room Gansevoort Playa Imbert opened in Cabarete, an emerging resort town in the Puerto Plata district on the country's north coast. The resort's penthouses offer private rooftop Jacuzzis and suites feature floor-to-ceiling windows, designer kitchens, walk-in showers, and custom baths.
The 323-room CHIC All Exclusive Resorts by Royalton also opened in December on Punta Cana's Uvero Alto beach. Suites at the adults-only resort feature ocean and tropical garden views; amenities include designer beds, rain showers and 24-hour room service.
Punta Cana's array of upscale all-inclusive resort properties are a significant factor in the country's explosive arrivals growth. Sixty percent of air arrivals in the Dominican Republic land at Punta Cana International Airport, which recently opened a second terminal designed to accommodate 6,500 passengers daily. The Dominican Republic is also expanding its cruise tourism base with the 2015 opening of Carnival Cruise Lines' $65 million Amber Cove cruise port near Puerto Plata.
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