Europe: second largest tourism market for CATA countries

06-12-22

Central America and the Dominican Republic continue to position themselves as one of the regions leading the recovery of tourism in the Americas. This is the result of different actions such as the progress in the rate of vaccination of the population, the relaxation of restrictive measures and the transformation of the regional tourism offer. 

This has allowed international tourists to find in the isthmus the perfect option for post-pandemic travel. According to data from the Secretariat for Central American Tourism Integration (SITCA), Europe is the second most important region in terms of tourist arrivals to Central America and the Dominican Republic.

In 2021, a total of 1.2 million tourists from Europe arrived in the region, representing 14.8% of the total number of travellers received during that year. Of these, 691,590 travellers came from the markets prioritised by CATA. The ranking places them in the following order of importance: Spain with 227,159 tourists; Germany with 164,007 tourists; France with 158,735 tourists; Italy with 57,385 tourists; the United Kingdom with 47,936 tourists; and the Netherlands with 36,368 tourists. 

Likewise, the latest World Tourism Barometer of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Americas recorded strong growth in January-July 2022 with +103% over 2021, reaching 65% recovery from 2019 levels. In particular, Central America and the Dominican Republic showed a faster recovery to pre-pandemic levels, compared to other sub-regions of the world, with -20% and -8%, respectively. 

Against this backdrop, Central America and the Dominican Republic would be experiencing a more robust recovery by 2022, with a view to consolidating the tourism recovery expected by 2023.  

In this regard, during the second half of 2022, CATA has intensified its actions to strengthen the business sector and the adaptability of the regional tourism offer with innovation and resilience. In addition to focusing promotional actions in European markets to provide quality tourism information, contribute to the recovery of confidence and position the regon as a multi-destination open to world tourism.