Dominican Republic Tourism Surges to Record First Half, Putting 12 Million Visitors Within Reach

The Dominican Republic’s tourism boom isn’t slowing down — quite the opposite, in fact. After setting records year after year, the Caribbean’s most-visited destination has reached another milestone, reportign 6,616,671 visitors during the first six months of 2026, the strongest first-half performance in the country’s history.

The figures, announced by Tourism Minister David Collado, represent a 7.7 percent increase compared to the first half of 2025 and an 11 percent increase over the same period in 2024, reinforcing the Dominican Republic’s position as the Caribbean’s tourism powerhouse.

If current trends continue, the country is now on track to surpass 12 million visitors by the end of the year, which would set another annual record.

Another Record-Breaking First Half

The first-half total includes 4,963,542 stayover visitors arriving by air and 1,653,129 cruise passengers arriving by sea, underscoring the country’s continued strength across both land-based vacations and the fast-growing cruise sector.

June was another strong month.

The Dominican Republic welcomed 975,012 total visitors during the month, up 6 percent compared to June 2025 and 5.5 percent higher than June 2024.

Of those, 816,517 were air arrivals, representing a 6 percent year-over-year increase. Cruise arrivals reached 158,495 passengers, up 6.3 percent from the same month last year.

The June air arrival numbers also highlight just how dramatically tourism has expanded over the past several years. Air arrivals were 15.4 percent higher than June 2023 and 39.1 percent above pre-pandemic levels in June 2019.

The Caribbean’s Tourism Leader

The Dominican Republic has spent the last several years widening its lead as the Caribbean’s largest tourism destination.

Its success has been fueled by a combination of significant hotel investment, expanding airlift from North America, Europe and Latin America, a growing luxury sector and one of the region’s strongest all-inclusive resort portfolios.

Destinations across the country have benefited from the momentum.

Punta Cana remains the country’s dominant tourism engine, while Puerto Plata continues to attract growing interest on the north coast. La Romana has strengthened its luxury appeal with resorts like Casa de Campo, Samaná continues drawing travelers looking for a quieter Caribbean experience and Santo Domingo has become an increasingly popular city destination for culture, gastronomy and short stays.

The Dominican Republic has also emerged as one of the Caribbean’s fastest-growing cruise destinations, with new ports and expanded itineraries helping drive continued gains in maritime arrivals.

Where Visitors Are Coming From

The United States continues to be the Dominican Republic’s largest source market by a considerable margin.

During June, American travelers accounted for 53 percent of all international arrivals.

Colombia ranked second with 8 percent, followed by Canada with 7 percent. Puerto Rico and Argentina each generated 5 percent of arrivals, while the United Kingdom and Chile each accounted for 3 percent, with Mexico contributing 2 percent.

The country’s expanding air connectivity continues to play a major role in that growth.

More than half of all international flights arriving in June originated in the United States. Panama represented 7 percentof inbound flights, while Colombia and Puerto Rico each accounted for 6 percent and Canada represented 5 percent.

Punta Cana Continues to Lead

Punta Cana International Airport once again handled the majority of international traffic.

The airport welcomed 53 percent of all inbound flights during June, further cementing its role as the Caribbean’s busiest tourism gateway.

Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo received 28 percent of flights, followed by Cibao International Airport with 12 percent.

Puerto Plata and El Higüero each accounted for 3 percent, while La Romana and Samaná each welcomed 1 percent of incoming flights.

The figures illustrate how the Dominican Republic’s tourism growth is spreading across multiple regions while Punta Cana remains the country’s primary arrival point.

Strong Satisfaction Levels Continue

Beyond the arrival numbers, visitor satisfaction remains exceptionally high.

Hotel occupancy averaged 71 percent during the first half of the year, while visitors rated their overall experience 4.4 out of 5.

Perhaps even more significant, 92 percent of visitors said they would return to the Dominican Republic, while 60 percentindicated they would recommend the destination to others.

Those numbers continue to reinforce one of the country’s greatest competitive advantages: repeat visitation.

Combined with continued investment in hotels, airports, cruise infrastructure and airlift, the Dominican Republic appears well positioned to continue building on its remarkable tourism momentum.

With more than 6.6 million visitors already recorded through June, the country is firmly on pace for another record year—and another milestone as it eyes 12 million visitors by the close of 2026.

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