Global travel patterns are undergoing quiet but noticeable shifts across the Caribbean and North America, and one island nation is emerging as a clear winner amid these changes. The Dominican Republic has rapidly strengthened its hold on the Canadian travel market, cementing its reputation as one of the most sought-after Caribbean getaways for North American vacationers — a shift that aligns with two parallel industry developments: a steady drop in Canadian travel to the United States and ongoing operational turmoil that has hit Cuba’s tourism sector hard.
This growing momentum comes as Dominican Republic Tourism Minister David Collado led a national promotional roadshow through Montreal, Canada this week, where he shared key milestone data about the country’s performance in the Canadian market. Official figures released by the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) and published by local outlet Diario Libre show that the Dominican Republic is on track to welcome more than 1.1 million Canadian visitors by the end of 2025. Breaking down the regional demand, Canada’s two most populous provinces — Ontario and Quebec — alone generated nearly 1 million of these arrivals, with 544,833 visitors coming from Ontario and a further 446,731 hailing from Quebec.
During the Montreal promotional event, Collado emphasized that Quebec alone contributes 39% of all Canadian tourist arrivals to the Dominican Republic, marking the province as one of the most critical source markets for the country’s $10 billion-plus tourism industry. This growth is not an isolated trend, according to Mitur’s latest regional performance report published this past March. The report outlines that North America as a whole accounts for 63% of all international tourist arrivals in the Dominican Republic. When compared to February 2025, visitor numbers from Canada jumped 14% year-over-year, outpacing the 6% growth recorded in the neighboring U.S. market, though Mexico posted even stronger growth of 47% over the same period.
Industry analysts note that this sustained growth positions the Dominican Republic to capture an even larger share of North American Caribbean travel in the coming years, as changing travel preferences and regional disruptions continue to reshape vacationer choices across the continent.