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The Dominican Republic has become the leader in Latin America in tourist visits per capita, according to a new analysis by online publication Latinvex based on statistics from UN Tourism and the Dominican government.
The Dominican Republic received 11.192 million visitors in 2024, the equivalent of 103.7% of its population of 10.797 billion, reveals an analysis of figures from the Dominican government and the International Monetary Fund.
This is the highest level in all of Latin America. Previously, Uruguay was the leader, but its arrivals-population percentage dropped to 95.3% from 107.5% in 2023, while the Dominican Republic’s percentage rose from 96% in 2023 to 103.7% in 2024.
On average, the per capita visits for all of Latin America and the Caribbean was 17.4% last year. In total, Latin America welcomed 124.3 million tourists in 2024, an increase of 7.6%.
The Dominican Republic remains the second-largest tourist destination in Latin America behind Mexico and ahead of countries such as Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia.
In terms of Dominican tourism revenue as a percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), this figure rose from 8.13% in 2023 to 8.8% in 2024. In Latin America, only El Salvador achieved a higher level last year, with 9.8%.
Tourism revenue in the Dominican Republic last year — $10.9 billion — was higher than in countries like Colombia, Brazil, and Panama.
All in all, tourism revenue across Latin America increased 8% last year to $128.4 bmillion. Chile and Peru saw the largest increase in tourism revenue in percentage terms, while Mexico led the increase in real terms, according to Latinvex. (https://dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2025/08/28/dominican-republic-latam-leader-in-tourism-arrivals-per-capita/)
