Dominican Republic sees Central America as potential source of tourists

Colombia became the third largest tourist destination in the world

The Dominican Republic is stepping up its promotion as a tourist destination to increase the reception of tourists from Central America through the offers of different attractions.

This time, artisans, jewelers, hotel chains, tour operators, businessmen, representatives of Banco Reservas and the Ministry of Tourism gathered in Colombia to show Central Americans the qualities of the nation at the Vitrina Turística fair organized by the Colombian Association of Travel Agencies (Anato).

The fair is an ideal business scenario for the country since it welcomes more than 40,000 attendees, including some 190 international businessmen from 32 countries.

During yesterday’s inauguration of the Dominican stand, the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, said that Colombia has become the third largest tourist destination, displacing Germany, France, England and other countries that were the main tourist destinations.

The fact that Colombia is among the first three places fills us with pride because they are nations with similar cultures. He detailed that some 306 thousand Colombians visited the country last 2023 and they expect to reach 350 thousand by the end of this year.

Among the destinations visited by Colombians, he said that 57 percent visit Punta Cana, 15 percent to Santo Domingo and the rest go to other poles.

“For this year we want to show them the Bride of the Atlantic”, he said, specifying that they are looking for the Arajet airline to start direct flights between this nation and Puerto Plata.

David Llibre, president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores), said that the representation of the business sector shows how important Colombia is for the Dominican Republic.

He stressed that this Bolivian country represents an important market for the Dominican Republic, as it has more than 50 thousand inhabitants, which represents a potential for the sector.

“It would be an important achievement for us to attract one and a half million Colombian tourists,” he said, noting that air connectivity has contributed to this increase.

Air tickets

Price increase
Colombia has the same regret with air ticket prices as the Dominican Republic, as President Gustavo Petro let it be known during the inauguration of the Vitrina Turística fair held in Bogota.