PUNTA CANA — The Dominican Republic is entering a transformative new era of tourism development, where the industry will shift its long-held focus on growing visitor numbers to boosting per-tourist economic value and delivering broader benefits to local communities, the country’s top tourism official has announced.
Speaking at the Asonahores 2026 Trade Show held in the popular coastal resort of Punta Cana, Tourism Minister David Collado laid out a bold new strategic framework that redefines how the Caribbean nation will measure tourism success. For years, the Dominican Republic’s tourism strategy centered on expanding arrivals to drive sector growth, and Collado acknowledged that this approach has delivered significant progress, cementing the country’s position as one of the Caribbean’s top tourist destinations. Now, he argues, it is time to evolve.
Collado emphasized that the next phase of growth must prioritize lifting average hotel rates and increasing the total amount of money each visitor spends during their stay. He stressed that this reframing is not just a shift in industry strategy — it is a commitment to ensuring tourism growth translates directly to improved livelihoods for the Dominican people. “What’s good for tourism and tourists has to be better for Dominicans,” Collado told attendees at the industry event.
Beyond boosting economic returns, the minister outlined that the new development stage will also be anchored by strict sustainability practices and comprehensive territorial planning. Rapid unregulated tourism and urban expansion have created growing pressures in several of the country’s most popular tourist hubs, and Collado identified key regions that will require more robust planning oversight: Bávaro-Punta Cana, Samaná, Puerto Plata, La Romana, and Bayahíbe. Strategic planning in these areas will balance growth with preservation, ensuring long-term viability of the country’s natural and cultural tourism assets.
Collado redefined success metrics for the national tourism sector, saying that industry performance should no longer be evaluated solely by the volume of incoming visitors. Instead, success will be measured by the tangible economic impact of tourism activity and the degree to which the sector lifts incomes and expands professional opportunities for Dominican citizens across the country.
The new strategic agenda puts four core pillars at the center of the country’s tourism policy moving forward: higher average visitor spending, improved industry profitability, widespread environmental sustainability, and intentional territorial planning. This reframing signals a major shift for Dominican tourism, with a new focus on inclusive, sustainable value creation rather than purely quantitative growth.