Dominican Republic Visitor Arrivals Rise 7.5% Through September

  • The Dominican Republic welcomed 9.24Mn visitors between January and September 2026, representing a 7.5% increase compared with the corresponding period of 2025. Of the total, 7.14Mn arrived by air, while 2.10Mn arrived by sea, including cruise passengers.
  • In September alone, visitor arrivals increased 16.4% year-over-year to 684,831. Air arrivals rose 8.8% to 533,735, while cruise arrivals surged 54.7% to 151,096, providing a significant boost to overall visitor growth during the month.
  • The United States remained the country’s largest source market in September, accounting for 39% of arrivals, followed by Canada at 11%, Colombia at 9% and Argentina at 7%. Mexico and Puerto Rico each accounted for 4%, while the United Kingdom and Brazil represented 3% each.
  • Punta Cana International Airport handled 47% of incoming flights, followed by Las Américas International Airport with 32% and Cibao International Airport with 12%, underscoring Punta Cana’s continued importance to the country’s tourism sector.
  • Hotel occupancy stood at 55% in September, while visitor satisfaction reached 4.4 out of five. Tourism Ministry data showed that 93% of visitors indicated that they would return to the Dominican Republic, while 63% said they would recommend the destination.
  • Tourism Minister David Collado projected that, if the current growth trend is maintained, the Dominican Republic could surpass 12.4Mn visitors by the end of 2026, potentially setting another record for the country’s tourism industry.
  • The continued rise in visitor arrivals is translating into broader economic gains. Tourism revenues increased 15.3% year-over-year to US$6.72Bn in H1 2026, outpacing visitor growth over the same period, while the sector attracted 20.1% of total FDI. The stronger growth in tourism revenues relative to visitor arrivals suggests improved value generation from the sector, while its 20.1% share of FDI underscores continued investment interest.

(Sources: Dominican Today & Central Bank of the Dominican Republic)