Against a backdrop of mounting industry headwinds ranging from persistent sargassum inundations to shifting global geopolitical instability, the Dominican Republic is prioritizing two key strategic priorities to lock in long-term tourism growth: expanding international air access and scaling up national hotel capacity, according to Tourism Minister David Collado.
One of the most promising recent developments for the country’s tourism sector comes from Canada, a top source market for Caribbean leisure travelers. Collado confirmed that bilateral engagement has yielded a major boost in air access, with major Canadian carriers agreeing to add more than 100,000 extra airline seats for routes connecting Canada to the Dominican Republic. The expansion follows official visits by tourism officials to Toronto and Montreal, where collaboration with leading airline partners was deepened, laying the groundwork for higher visitor volumes in the coming months.
Collado emphasized that reliable, expanded air connectivity is the non-negotiable foundation for sustained tourism growth, but matching that increased access with additional accommodation infrastructure is equally critical to meet rising global demand. Even in the face of unforeseen market disruption – specifically the total loss of Russian and Ukrainian visitor markets triggered by the ongoing Eastern European conflict – the Dominican Republic’s tourism industry has maintained remarkable resilience. Current hotel occupancy rates across the country hold between 95% and 98%, a figure that underscores the unmet demand for additional accommodation.
To keep pace with projected growth over the coming years, industry estimates indicate the Dominican Republic will need to add roughly 30,000 new hotel rooms to its national inventory. As of now, approximately 16,000 of those required rooms are already under active construction. One high-profile project set to open soon that will move the needle on expansion is Moon Palace Punta Cana, a major resort that will contribute 2,500 new rooms to the country’s tourism offering and support the sector’s continued upward trajectory, Collado noted.