Despite the tourism industry starting to recover in July 2020 due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the arrival of tourists throughout the year did not reach the growth trend that the chimney-less industry has shown for years.
According to Central Bank statistics, for the year 2020 the arrival of non-resident visitors to the country was 2,405,315 tourists, an annual variation of -62.7%, of which 1,699,194 are foreigners and 706,121 non-resident Dominicans.
However, At the end of 2019, 6,446,036 non-resident passengers entered the Dominican nation, which at the time represented 17% of all visitors to the Insular Caribbean and Central America, positioning the country as a leader in this region.
Due to the closure of land borders by air, sea and land between the months of March and June 2020, as a measure to limit the spread of COVID-19, the annual flow of travelers in the second quarter of 2020 was zero (-100.0%).
Thanks to the reopening of the airports in July 2020, tourism has recovered, according to the Central Bank, and one example of this is just one In the period July-December, 1,011,224 tourists were received.
“To give an idea of the magnitude of the improvement that has occurred so far, if we take into account the figures for the month of December 2020, the arrival of non-resident visitors (foreigners and Dominicans) reached 348,464 tourists, which means amounts to 55.8% of the total number of non-resident visitors who arrived in the country in the month of December 2019, ”emphasizes a report from the Central Bank sent to the media on Thursday afternoon.
The financial entity adds that this is significant progress as 135,163 visitors entered the country in July 2020, for a 22.9% share from the same month in 2019.
Recovery plan
According to the Central Bank, this improvement is due to Responsible recovery plan for tourism which the Dominican government is promoting in partnership with the private sector, which is considering measures to promote the country as a safe holiday destination and to promote the Country brand.
The cabinet has implemented the economic stimulus package for the sector with a investment program of more than RD $ 420 million, the temporary abolition of the advance for six months and the payment of the wealth tax until June 2021, as well as the reduction of the rate of the advance price to 35% between September and November 2020.
The plan also includes internationally certified health safety protocols to be followed by tourism companies and travelers entering the country, basic health insurance cover in case they are affected by the coronavirus during their stay.