DR tourism continues to climb

The Dominican Republic welcomed 6.8 million international visitors in 2017, including 837,104 Canadian arrivals.

According to the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism, air arrivals increased by four per cent compared to 2016, with July and December as peak months, while sea arrivals nearly doubled in 2017 to more than 1.5 million travellers. Total hotel occupancy was 77.1 per cent for 2017.

Of those total arrivals, visitors from North America increased by 2.6 per cent, with 77,257 additional travellers.

In 2018, the destination will see upcoming road improvements increasing tourism connectivity in the coming years, while new hotel developments include Emotions by Hodelpa in Playa Dorada will add rooms in Puerto Plata.