As tourist arrivals continue to boom in the Dominican Republic, the island in July welcomed 735,064 visitors — a 24 per cent increase above that of the pre-pandemic level.

According to the country’s Tourism Minister David Collado, this record performance marks the most visitors to the Dominican Republic in a single month seen in the country’s history, exceeding that of December 2021 and putting the country on course to achieving its best year on record.

July 2022 and December 2021 are said to be the only two months in the country’s history where it has welcomed over 700,000 visitors during a single month.

“We did it again! We achieved an extraordinary month in the arrival of tourists to the Dominican Republic. If the pace continues, 2022 will be the best year of tourism in our history,” Collado said in celebrating the record achievement.

Reports have indicated that so far, the country has welcomed as much as 4.2 million visitors since 2022. This, despite the fact that the sector continues to face a number of challenges, among them the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, rising interest rates and heightened economic and geopolitical uncertainties.

Visitors from key source markets such as the United States continue to dominate these arrivals followed by Canada, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Spain, Cuba, and the United Kingdom.

The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) recently congratulating the country on its record achievement said that the growth in arrivals “comes even as destinations across the Dominican Republic continue to miss tourists from Russia and Ukraine, two historically strong source markets”.

In recognition of its leading status as a resilient destination, the Dominican Republic was the focus of the first UNWTO Investment Guidelines publication, released at the start of this year. Developed alongside the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic and the national Export and Investment Centre (PRODOMINICANA), the new guide provides key insights for investors, with the aim of boosting foreign direct investment in the Caribbean destination.

In light of its successes, The Dominican Republic is also being prepared to host the 118th session of the UNWTO Executive Council during the first quarter of 2023.