Economic Impact

Punta Cana Tourism Economic Impact

Updated: 2026-06-01

Executive summary

Tourism is the single largest sector in the Dominican economy. It generates ~US$12B in FX revenue (2025), ~16% of GDP, ~34% of national foreign-currency inflows, and supports 876k+ jobs. Punta Cana — and specifically La Altagracia province — is the engine room: ~58% of arrivals and ~85,000 of the country's formal hotel jobs.

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Key statistics

$12B

FX revenue 2025

16%

Share of GDP

876k+

Jobs (WTTC)

$162

Daily spend / tourist

Where the money lands

The economic-impact dataset is the strongest argument for treating Punta Cana as the most important single tourism region in the Caribbean. Direct tourism FX is the largest source of foreign currency for the DR — ahead of remittances, mining and free-trade-zone exports.

DR tourism — economic-impact indicators

Indicator	Value	Source / context
Tourism FX revenue DR 2025	~US$12B	Estimate, full-year
Tourism FX revenue DR 2024	US$10.97B	Banco Central / ONE
Tourism FX revenue DR 2023	US$9.8B	ASONAHORES + Banreservas study
Tourism share of national FX	~34%	Largest single source
Tourism share of GDP	~16.1%	WTTC (direct + indirect)
Direct tourism share of GDP	8.1%	Highest in Latin America (Latinvex)
Hotel jobs DR	106,891	Formal employment 2023
Tourism-related jobs total	876,000+	Direct + indirect (WTTC)
La Altagracia province jobs	~85,000	Where Punta Cana sits
Avg daily tourist spend 2024	US$162/day	Up from prior years

Source: WTTC, Banco Central RD, ONE, ASONAHORES, Banreservas, Latinvex, Dominican Today.

Jobs and human impact

ASONAHORES + Banreservas counted 106,891 formal hotel jobs in DR in 2023, with La Altagracia province (Punta Cana) accounting for roughly 80% of that. WTTC's broader "direct + indirect + induced" measure puts the total at 876,000+ jobs nation-wide — meaning roughly 1 in 6 working-age Dominicans depends on tourism.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How much does tourism contribute to the Dominican economy?+

Around US$12 billion in direct foreign-currency revenue in 2025 (up from US$10.97B in 2024), about 16% of GDP including indirect effects, and ~34% of all foreign-currency inflows — the single largest external revenue source for the country.

How many people work in Punta Cana tourism?+

ASONAHORES counted 106,891 formal hotel jobs in DR in 2023, of which La Altagracia province (Punta Cana) holds roughly 80%. Including indirect/induced jobs (transport, food supply, construction, services), WTTC estimates 876k+ tourism-related jobs nation-wide.

How much does the average tourist spend per day?+

Around US$162 per day in 2024 according to Dominican Today / MITUR data — a meaningful increase over prior years, driven by Cap Cana luxury expansion and growing share of long-stay/short-term-rental guests.

Sources & methodology

WTTC via CDN.com.do — Tourism contributes US$20.5B to DR GDP — 16.1% of national economy, 876k jobs
El Dinero / ONE — Tourism FX revenue US$10,972M in 2024
ASONAHORES & Banreservas — Tourism FX revenue US$9.8B in 2023 — 34% of national FX, 106,891 hotel jobs
Dominican Today / Latinvex — DR leader in tourism revenues as % of GDP — 8.1% direct, highest in Latin America
DMK Abogados — Dominican tourism grew by 9% in 2024 — Source market breakdown, length of stay, daily spend
DMK Abogados — Tourism sector main driver of economic growth in 2023 — Formal employment, La Altagracia jobs
Dominican Today — Average daily tourist spending in DR skyrockets
Proceso.com.do — Banreservas/ASONAHORES tourism productivity study 2024

More research from the Data Center

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