Cumulative tourist arrivals in the Dominican Republic have increased by 35.7% in the first four months of the year compared to 2022. According to the latest data, 3,745,475 travelers visited the country in January-April, compared to 2,758,703 a year ago - a new record compared to the periods from 2018 onwards. As a result, the Dominican Republic has recently had its most successful four-month period. In April, the positive trend continued, with 862,705 visitors coming to the country, with 681,567 arriving by air and 181,138 arriving by sea.
In April, traditional hotels had an average occupancy rate of 81% among tourists, while resorts had 77%. On the other hand, short-term accommodations had the lowest average occupancy rate of 41% in the hotel segment. According to the sector's forecasts, there will be 7.9 million visitor arrivals for the remainder of the year, higher than the 7.1 million in 2022. Experts have identified the Sargasso flood as the only issue currently being discussed, but it has yet to affect hotel occupancy.
Airbnb and the Regulation
Although not regulated, the number of short-term accommodations rented through online portals for booking and renting accommodation, such as Airbnb, continues to rise. As a result, 60% of the housing supply in the country is dominated by the Airbnb platform, which counts 40,850 registered properties with 99,609 rooms (as of March this year). The short-term accommodation alternative has multiplied in the Dominican Republic.