Albizu: Dominican Republic is oriented to be one of the most visited destinations in 2023

The governor of the Central Bank, Héctor Valdez Albizu, confirmed that the performance of the tourism sector will position the Dominican Republic as one of the “most visited” destinations this year.

He stated that the 5.3 million visitors that arrived in the country during the first half of 2023 are a sign that the goal proposed by the industry will be met, to welcome the 10 million visitors through the different airports and seaports at the end of the year.

“Ten million is a very strong number for a sector that has gone through a triple crisis: covid-19, geopolitics – which we are still going through – and tropical storms,” he specified.

In the monthly press conference organized by the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) to publicize the behavior of the industry, he explained that the arrival of tourists to the Dominican Republic has managed to exceed the arrival of countries with greater territorial extension such as Argentina, Brazil or Columbia.

Valdez Albizu indicated that the incidence of tourism in economic activity is shown by the hotels, bars and restaurants sector, which grew by 24%.

“This explains more than a quarter of GDP during 2022, practically only that, because we had other sectors that did contribute, but for geopolitical reasons, they were not doing so,” he said.

He explained that the performance of January-May, of 12.9%, seems to indicate that “it will play the same role” in the economy for this 2023, according to Diario Libre.

Likewise, he highlighted that the tourism value chain contributes to motorize agriculture, attracts foreign investment and contributes with remittances, through non-resident Dominicans who arrive in the country.

“Tourism (also) has the virtue that it generates foreign currency and helps us pay the current accounts of the balance of payments,” he pointed out.