The Dominican Republic’s tourism sector opened 2026 with strong momentum.
According to data released by the Ministry of Tourism, last January, our country welcomed 1,219,606 visitors by air and sea, a 5.5% increase compared to 1,155,484 visitors in January 2025.
Tourism Minister David Collado said the results pointed to a strong year ahead, noting January’s total was 14.2% above 2024 levels and 61% above 2019, the last full year before the pandemic.
Top 800,000 air arrivals in January
Air travel continued to drive growth.
The Dominican Republic surpassed 800,000 single air passengers in January for the first time, with 825,847 travelers arriving by air. Of those, 709,886 were foreign visitors and 115,960 were Dominican nationals living abroad.
This is an 8.7% increase compared to January 2025.
North America remains the main source market, accounting for 59% of air arrivals. Travel originating from the United States increased 4% year-over-year, while arrivals to Canada increased 8%.
Latin America continues to expand its footprint and now accounts for 21% of all air arrivals. The region attracted 19,333 additional visitors, a 15% increase compared to January 2025.
In individual markets, Colombia recorded the highest growth among the top seven source countries with a 27% increase, followed by Argentina with a 17% increase.
Tourism officials said continued growth in Latin America helped offset the softness seen in parts of 2025 in traditional markets such as the United States, Canada and some European countries amid widespread economic uncertainty and trade tensions.
Central America and the Caribbean also recorded growth, with 4,973 additional air passengers, a 15% increase from January 2025.
The number of European arrivals increased by 12% compared to the same period last year, with a particularly strong performance in Italy with a 23% increase and an 11% increase in France.
Punta Cana continues to lead the way.
Punta Cana International Airport remained the dominant gateway, handling 523,307 passengers, or 63% of all air arrivals in January. This is a 10% increase compared to January 2025.
Santo Domingo’s Las Americas International Airport accounted for 18% of total arrivals with 151,340 passengers, up 7% from the previous year.
Cibao International Airport accounted for 9% of arrivals, up 13% for a total of 76,106 passengers.
Puerto Plata accounted for 6% of air arrivals with 49,305 passengers, reflecting a 4% decrease, while La Romana handled 13,789 passengers, or 2% of total arrivals, up 4%.
Cruise arrivals slightly down
Cruise passenger arrivals in January totaled 393,759, a slight decrease of 0.5% compared to January 2025, and 1,796 fewer passengers compared to the previous year.
Taíno Bay led all cruise ports with 147,055 passengers, accounting for 37% of all cruise arrivals. Amber Cove followed with 111,110 passengers (28%).
La Romana accommodated 62,663 cruise passengers, or 16%. Isla Catalina and Cabo Rojo accounted for 5% of cruise arrivals with 20,726 and 20,558 passengers respectively.
Hotel occupancy rate: approximately 82%
In January, nationwide hotel occupancy averaged about 82%.
Miches continues to emerge as one of the fastest-growing destinations in the country, with the highest occupancy rate at 94%.
Sosúa-Cabarete followed with 91% and Bayahíbe with 89%. Bávaro-Punta Cana and La Romana each recorded occupancy rates of 88%, while Juan Dolio-Boca Chica averaged 79%.
With air arrivals expanding across multiple regions and hotel occupancy rates remaining high in key resort markets, January’s results strengthen the Dominican Republic’s position as one of the Caribbean’s top tourism destinations through 2026.
