The Caribbean country that Argentines love: the keys to success according to the Minister of Tourism

" The Dominican Republic is currently experiencing its best moment in the history of tourism . We have just reached 11.2 million visitors to our country, a figure that exceeds the Dominican population (there are 10 million inhabitants)," says an enthusiastic David Collado, Minister of Tourism of this Caribbean country , in a room at the Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires, during his visit to Argentina.

This is the highest number of foreign visitors they have had so far, surpassing the figure for 2023, which, with 10.3 million, had also been considered a record.

This is essential information for a country where tourism represents 15% of GDP and generates more than one million jobs, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

The Dominican Republic occupies two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola , which it shares with Haiti, and is synonymous with dream vacations with divine postcards of sun, beach and all-inclusive hotels .

With 1,600 km of coastline between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean , it has more than 200 beaches and many attractions linked to its culture and centuries of history . Just take a stroll through the colonial area of ​​Santo Domingo, the capital , considered the oldest European settlement in America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990 .

Although the beaches are the great magnet for tourists and the postcard that catches your eye at first sight, the geography of the Dominican Republic has a diversity that ranges from lakes to mountains, from fishing villages to large cities, from palm trees to cacti. It has national parks and ecological reserves. You can go bird watching and, between January and March, humpback whale watching.

There are hiking, cycling, caving and community tourism excursions. Its cities are a stopover and departure port for cruise ships (they have about two million cruise passengers each year).

And its culture is an attractive mix of Taino, European and African components, part of the Dominican flavour along with merengue, bachata, cocoa, tobacco, rum and typical dishes such as mangú, the Dominican flag, concón or tostones.

“Forty percent of the Dominican Republic's economic growth in the last three years has been on the shoulders of tourism,” Collado explains, and he is emphatic when he points out the fundamental role it plays.

“It is much more than sun, beach and piña colada. Dominican oil is tourism.”

For all these reasons, the arrival of the 11 millionth visitor was celebrated as if it were a national holiday : on December 29th there was a ceremony at the Punta Cana international airport to give a special welcome to the Canadian Bruce Pirt and his family, who got off the plane at the right moment. They had spent their honeymoon here and returned, 20 years later, to celebrate their anniversary.

January was also a month of good news as the Dominican Republic was awarded the prize for the best stand at Fitur in Madrid , one of the most important tourism fairs in the world.

And future projections are encouraging : they expect to reach 12 million tourists by the end of 2025.

“The impressive thing about this is how Argentine tourism has been growing ,” says David Collado.

They have studied the profile of the Argentine traveler well :

This is the fourth time that Collado has come to the country , to lead a new roadshow – an event that brings together travel agencies, operators and specialized media to showcase the destination and strengthen relations – one of the keys that, according to him, explain the growth of tourism and specifically the boom of Argentines in recent times.

He loves coming and showing where the Dominican Republic is going, what new beaches or destinations can be visited, security issues or the arrival of new hotels. He also says that dulce de leche and alfajores are his weakness. And that all this growth generates a lot of excitement .

The numbers are encouraging: in January 2025 alone, 51,000 Argentines arrived, a 104% growth compared to January 2024. It is estimated that February will close with between 30,000 and 35,000 Argentine visitors. If this trend continues, Argentina would be in third place as a tourist-sending market – they expect to reach 350,000 Argentines by the end of the year – behind the United States and Canada.

In addition to the roadshows, which, according to Collado, are a great party, there is another key factor that explains the destination's marathon growth: air connectivity .

Between direct flights and others with stopovers , the range of possibilities to get from Argentina to the dream beaches, all-inclusive resorts and colonial streets of Santo Domingo is very wide.

Aerolíneas Argentinas , for example, currently has –in the middle of the summer season- 7 weekly flights from Buenos Aires, 4 from Córdoba, 1 from Rosario and 1 from Tucumán. From March it will maintain an interesting frequency: 5 from Buenos Aires, 3 from Córdoba, in addition to Rosario and Tucumán.

One player who made a strong impact was Arajet , a Dominican “low-cost” airline , which began flying to Argentina in November 2023 and currently has six weekly flights to Punta Cana.

Added to this is the offer with different connection points from companies such as Copa (flies to Panama with 35 weekly frequencies from Buenos Aires, 16 from Córdoba, 10 from Rosario and 6 from Mendoza), Latam or Gol , among others.

A third factor is the pandemic and the reopening of tourism . “We were determined to build trust. While the world closed its doors, the Dominican Republic opened responsibly. Positivity did not skyrocket in any destination or airport... We had the courage to open while large countries closed,” says Collado in relation to the role and success they had in leading the “tourism recovery.”

The public-private relationship and the formation of a tourism cabinet with all the institutions that may be related to the activity are also key, which speeds up decision-making .

It is clear that Punta Cana is the star destination in the Dominican Republic. It concentrates the largest flow of visitors and also the largest number of hotel establishments.

To give you an idea, it has 47,000 hotel rooms, 50% of the offer in the whole country . An emerging destination like Miches , which is in full growth process with the arrival of new hotels, has 3,000 rooms.

In addition to Club Med, the first to open in 2019, a Four Seasons is under construction, a Viva Wyndham has just opened, there is also a Zemí by Curio Collection by Hilton and there is also the Hyatt chain.

“80% of Argentines stay in Punta Cana. My job is to show them other places,” says Collado, and he exudes enthusiasm as he lists options.

Santo Domingo is a must-see for its historic center and colonial streets . Founded by Bartholomew Columbus in 1496, it is undergoing revitalization with an investment of US$ 100 million.

It has museums, shops, hotels – several of them in historic buildings –, restaurants and cafés. There is the Cathedral of America built between 1510 and 1540, the Dominican Convent, the Alcázar de Colón – the former residence of Diego Colón –, the Ozama Fortress and museums such as the Amber Museum or the Royal Houses Museum.

Samaná is a paradise with mountains, where the green of nature and the white of the beaches contrast. Many French people, among other foreigners, stayed to live here, in love with the place, something that can be seen, for example, in the gastronomic diversity. It is in a bay that is a sanctuary for humpback whales that come here every year (January to March) to reproduce.

La Romana , known for its sugar cane plantations, has the luxurious Casa de Campo resort, the proximity of spectacular beaches such as Dominicus and Bayahíbe, or excursions to Saona Island . There are golf courses designed by Pete Dye and there is Altos de Chavón, a replica of a 16th-century Mediterranean village. The inauguration of its Greek amphitheater was attended by Frank Sinatra in 1982 and since then it has attracted international artists every year, from Sting and Gloria Estefan to Marc Anthony and Maluma.

Also worth mentioning is Puerto Plata, where tourism in the Dominican Republic began and which is now being relaunched with new projects. It is part of the Amber Coast along with Cabarete, and is known for its “Victorian houses”, amber deposits and good rum, among other things.

Or Pedernales , a paradise, “with three hotel chains that are in the final phase and will open in June,” says Collado.

Growth, investment and the arrival of more visitors also require great care to avoid the kind of overwhelm seen in some destinations around the world - European cities, for example - where the local population is beginning to reject tourists.

Collado highlights the importance of sustainable tourism , which goes beyond the protection of the natural environment.

“We have to be an environmentally friendly destination, but sustainability includes the circular economy . Wherever the big hotel chains are, there should be no poverty behind the walls. We must spread economic benefits to everyone.”

Hence the investments to refurbish destinations, pave streets, encourage local entrepreneurs and projects such as a tourism training institute in Bávaro-Punta Cana to improve the quality of the Dominican workforce, or an innovative Tourist Services Center.

“We have a macro vision of tourism . It is not just about people coming, but about Dominicans valuing it and benefiting from it... Growth must be responsible and sustainable.”

And although the all-inclusive model is well established in this land and has been successful, the strategy for 2025 is to decentralize and diversify: “ Get tourists out of the hotels , so they don't stay locked up in the all-inclusive, we want them to get to know our culture, our people and our gastronomy.”

The invitation is open. As the official slogan says, you have to travel and “taste paradise.”

Argentines must present a valid passport and complete the online Immigration form before traveling ( eticket.migracion.gob.do ).

Travel agencies in Argentina usually have a variety of packages to the Dominican Republic.