“The good son always comes home”, may be one of the phrases most heard by the 11.1 million Dominicans. This is confirmed in the 14% of absent Dominicans who entered by air in February of this year. This means 93,156 Creoles compared to 567,932 foreign passengers.
When analyzing the data, the arrival of ethnic visitors presents a sustainable growth during the last five years. In February 2019, the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) reported 69,656 absent compatriots, followed by February 2020 with 76,951; 2021, 71,796 and 2022 with 91,822.
These compatriots spend the night an average of 26 days, 155.5% more than the nine days of stay of foreigners. This was stated by the Minister of Tourism, David Collado. However, 94% stayed in a private place and only 6% in a hotel.
In addition, according to the data, 36% is an adult tourist, 29%, senior; 19%, adventurer and 16%, familiar.
Cruise ships
Collado highlighted that the travel and tourism sector continues to break records and that the prospect is that it will continue to be so in March, noting that the arrival of cruise passengers, equally, is growing in a sustainable manner.
In February of this year, the country received 252,435 maritime passengers, 158.2% more than the 97,764 reported in the same period of 2022 and a difference of 351,928 compared to the 507 passengers in February 2021.
Based on arrivals by port, Amber Cove and Taíno Bay in Puerto Plata reported 95,921 and 78,763 cruise passengers, respectively, aboard 52 vessels.
These are followed by La Romana, with 22 operations and a total of 57,811 passengers; Samana with 8,373; and Catalina Island, in La Romana, with 5,996 cruise passengers. Meanwhile, San Soucí, Santo Domingo, reports 5,571 visitors.