Dominican Republic has it all!is the country’s slogan and foreign visitors have discovered it, especially the Spanish tourist, who was in 2022 the protagonist of the recovery of the European market with 70% of leisure visits as motivation for trips to this Caribbean country that they themselves define as a multi-destination paradise with a wide and varied offer.
According to data from the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) offered by Vice Minister Jacqueline Mora, in Madrid, Spain, the generation Z (born between 1998 and 2004) It is among the new travel trends.
He affirmed that two billion people in the world seek to connect with the localities in their travels, a 52% spend more time on social media that a year ago, 47% preferred to travel internationally, 26% wanted to travel, among other reasons.
Mora indicated that the travelers they seek personal enrichment in the first place, secondly travel on direct flights, and thirdly towards a destination brand and MICE tourism (conventions).
Santo Domingo
Among the offers of Santo Domingo as a destination, it is promoted that it is the first MICE destination in the region, that it is the Capital of the Caribbean, its gastronomic festivals in the summer, the convention center, shopping centers, golf courses, 5,400 varieties of restaurants, the museums of Man, of Modern Art and of Amber; and be the cradle of merengue and bachata, also for salsa, jazz and music festivals throughout the year.
Currently, as a complementary offer there are new attractions such as the Katmandú park, by Meliá, in Punta Cana; and the largest water theme park in the Caribbean, El Dorado Park.
In 2022, among the longest stays of non-resident foreigners, in addition to adults and relatives the adventurous visitor reached a participation of 25% in the case of non-resident Dominicans, with stays of 30 days and tourists, 25% with stays of 11 days. There are also senior tourists, who lasted between 36 days for non-resident Dominicans and 14 days for non-residents.
Despite the context of global slowdown, the euro has strengthened and it has been shown that tourists, especially the more adventurous ones, plan to travel in the next twelve months, once the health problem of the pandemic has ended.
The Dominican offer offers diversity to take advantage of the traveler’s desire. However, survey results show that 37% of budget travelers are concerned about accommodation prices, are looking for cost efficiency, prefer short-rental units and brand considerations.
Regarding the most searched flights, the destination Punta Cana occupies the first place, with 83%, followed by destinations such as Lisbon, Istanbul, Turkey; Bahamas, Montego Bay, Santo Domingo, Tokyo, Costa Rica, Puerto Vallarta, San José del Cabo and Mexico City, in Mexico.
Tourist behavior
26% of the passengers were non-resident Dominicans and 67% non-resident foreign visitors (tourists). Of these one 28% were adults who had a 10-day stay; 25% adventurers of 11 days; 35% families for 10 days, seniors were 12 and lasted 14 days.
88% would return
Most of the European visitors came from Madrid (85%) and of 11,003 respondents, 88% said they would return. 18% came with family and friends and 4% of the total for weddings and honeymoons.
