Arajet 10 Boeing 737 8
The Dominican Republic welcomed over 5 million visitors from January to May, marking a significant 12% increase compared to the same period in 2023. This surge also represents a 49% rise over 2022 and a 43% increase from 2019.
Dominican Minister of Tourism David Collado emphasized that in May alone, over 670,000 tourists arrived by air, a 9% increase compared to last year.
Collado stated, “May was an extraordinary month with the arrival of 846,735 visitors, representing a 12 percent increase compared to May last year, a 45 percent increase over the same month in 2019, and a 54 percent increase over 2018.”
Collado added, “When you see figures like those we’ve achieved in the first five months of this year, you should feel proud as a Dominican: 5,026,990 visitors from January to May—that’s the big number.”
Top Source Countries in May
In May, the United States was the leading country sending tourists to the Dominican Republic, accounting for 53% of the visitors, followed by Canada with 11%, Colombia with 5%, and Argentina with 4%.
The Dominican Republic boasts six international airports, linking the nation with the Americas and Europe. The main airport, Punta Cana (PUJ), receives the highest number of flights. The top five destinations served from Punta Cana are New York (JFK) and Panama (PTY), each with 49 weekly flights, Miami (MIA) with 41 weekly flights, San Juan Luis Muñoz Marin (SJU) with 31 weekly flights, and Toronto (YYZ) with 30 weekly flights.
The second busiest airport is Las Américas International (SDQ) in the capital, with its top routes including Miami, which has 73 weekly flights, New York with 61 weekly flights, Panama with 31 weekly flights, and both San Juan and Newark (EWR) with 29 weekly flights each. Other international airports in the Dominican Republic include La Romana (LRM), Santiago de los Caballeros (STI), and Samaná (AZS).
A significant factor contributing to the growth in tourism is the establishment of Arajet, a low-cost airline based at Las Américas International Airport. Operating a fleet of ten 737-8 MAX aircraft, Arajet flies to 19 destinations across the Americas and the Caribbean. In 2023, the airline transported 550,000 passengers in its first full calendar year of operations, launching in September 2022.
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