Puerto Plata.- The Dominican Republic currently operates 10 tourist ports. In Santo Domingo, there are Don Diego (ferry) and Sans Soucí. Amber Cove and Taíno Bay operate in Puerto Plata. Additionally, there are port terminals in La Romana, Isla Catalina, Samaná, Cap Cana, Isla Saona, and the recently opened Pedernales-Cabo Rojo.
In the first three months of this year, 866,829 passengers arrived in the country by sea, with 649,751 passing through the Amber Cove (317,694) and Taíno Bay (332,057) terminals in Puerto Plata, accounting for 75% of visitors during this period. La Romana ranked second with 158,079 cruise passengers.
According to the Central Bank, 275 ships docked at Dominican ports in the first quarter of 2024, with 174 (63.3%) arriving in Puerto Plata, reaffirming its leadership in cruise ship arrivals. Cabo Rojo port received one ship in January, with no passengers reported disembarking.
The cruise terminals of Cap Cana, Isla Saona, and Pedernales have not reported any cruise passenger entries so far this year, although updates for April and May are pending.
January saw the highest number of cruise passenger arrivals, with 319,410, representing 36.8% of the first quarter of 2024. This month also recorded 103 ships docking at tourist ports, accounting for 37.5% of the quarterly total.
Throughout 2023, 2,258,941 visitors or cruise passengers arrived through ports equipped to receive tourist ships, according to El Dinero.