Impulse to Shopping Tourism in the Dominican Republic

25-07-24

In 2024, the average daily expenditure of tourists in the Dominican Republic stands at US$164.98. This figure reflects the importance of tourism to the national economy, especially considering that the country received around 10 million visitors in 2023. Of these, 8 million arrived by air and stayed in local establishments, contributing significantly to the economy through the purchase of goods and services.

Of the 8,058,671 travelers arriving through Dominican airports in 2023, a total of 6,730,802 were foreigners, while 1,327,869 were Dominicans residing abroad. The arrival of these tourists has been critical to the tourism industry, generating an impressive income of more than US$9.751 billion.

In an effort to maximize tourism revenues and encourage greater spending by visitors, the Dominican Republic Hotel and Tourism Association (ASONAHORES) has launched an ambitious proposal to promote shopping tourism. The initiative focuses on the implementation of a regulation that would allow tourists to recover the Tax on the Transfer of Industrialized Goods and Services (ITBIS) that they pay during their stay in the country. This measure is intended to encourage tourist spending and provide a significant boost to various local economic sectors.