The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, reported that the country received 7,700,118 visitors between January and July 2026, the highest figure recorded for that period, driven by the sustained growth of air and cruise tourism.
Santo Domingo.– The Dominican Republic continues to consolidate itself as one of the main tourist destinations in the Caribbean by registering the arrival of 7,700,118 visitors between January and July 2026, the highest figure reached for that period in the country’s history.
During his traditional monthly results presentation, the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, reported that this figure represents a growth of 7% compared to the same period in 2025, 10.4% compared to 2024, and 69.6% compared to 2019, before the pandemic.
Of the total number of visitors, 5,885,259 entered the country by air and 1,814,859 did so via cruise ships.
“Those two arrivals give us the grand total of 7,700,118 visitors in just seven months, the highest figure reached in that period in the history of Dominican tourism,” expressed Collado during an event held at the Hotel Embajador, in Santo Domingo, before representatives of the tourism sector.
The minister highlighted that July also set a new record by receiving 1,083,448 visitors, an increase of 2.9% compared to the same month in 2025, 6.4% compared to 2024, and 60.6% compared to 2019.
More Read
Of that total, 921,718 tourists arrived by air, which represents an increase of 6.7% compared to July 2025, while 161,730 passengers arrived on cruise ships.
Main source markets
The United States remained the main source market for tourists during July, contributing 48% of arrivals. It was followed by Canada (7%); Argentina and Colombia (6% each); Puerto Rico (5%); Mexico and the United Kingdom (3%), and Spain (2%).
Busiest airports
Punta Cana International Airport accounted for 58% of air arrivals, followed by Las Américas (24%), Cibao (13%), Puerto Plata (3%), while La Romana and Samaná recorded 1% each.
More Read
Regarding the origin of the flights, the United States topped the list with 50%, followed by Panama (7%); Colombia and Puerto Rico (6% each); Canada (5%); Peru and Spain (3%), and Argentina, Mexico, and Cuba (2%).
Collado also reported that hotel occupancy during July reached 76%, while visitor satisfaction stood at 4.4 points out of 5.
According to the measurements presented by the Ministry of Tourism, 91% of tourists stated that they would return to visit the Dominican Republic, while 59% assured that they would recommend the destination to family and friends.
