by Melany Garcia 
Dominican Republic is not alone in the global tourism industry. Statistics from the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) confirm it: 66% of non-resident foreigners who visited the country considered destinations such as Mexico, Costa Rica Y Jamaica for their vacations. Despite this uncertainty about which destination to visit in Latin America and the Caribbean, foreigners chose the Dominican Republic for its sun and beaches, hotels, and climate, the state agency indicated.
Tourism sector players have set out to diversify the traditional sun and sand sector by developing other sectors such as gastronomy, health, sports, and business. This allows other provinces to benefit from the economic dynamism of the hotel, bar, and restaurant sector, generating new jobs and attracting foreign investment.
Statistics from Mitur indicate that 62% of foreigners visited other destinations in the country, among which the following stand out: Punta Cana, in La Altagracia; Santo Domingo, with its cultural offering of the Colonial Zone, and Puerto Plata, located in the North.
Furthermore, the organization highlights that 63% of foreigners reported traveling for pleasure between one and two times a year; 71% of foreigners plan their vacations between one and seven months in advance.
Meanwhile, 45% of % purchased a travel package through travel agencies and tour operators, who contributed 22% of % of non-resident arrivals between 2019 and 2023, not including the Dominican diaspora. This represents 5,070,747 foreigners out of the 22,528,200 reported by the Central Bank.
The 44 % visited the Dominican Republic for the first time and the 93 % would visit other destinations again, according to Acento.
Likewise, the 54 % of the stay was registered in Bavaro-Punta Cana, the country's main tourist destination. And no wonder: La Altagracia has accumulated 54,124 rooms of the 90,055 traditional units in the hotel sector. That is, 60.1% of the total.
In addition, it is the province that faces mass tourism, with 2,240 visitors per square kilometer, according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
In July 2025, the country welcomed 863,785 air tourists, while cruise ship passengers totaled 189,051, totaling 1,052,836 visitors.
The main issuing countries were USA with the 52 %, while Canada contributed 7 %, one percentage point less than its counterparts in Argentina Y Puerto Rico, both with a 6% stake in %. Meanwhile, Colombia issued 4 % of tourists, followed by Mexico (3 %) and Spain (2 %).