Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 2. Macro and country context › Tourism and free zones: the two engines that earn the dollars

Tourism and free zones: the two engines that earn the dollars

Last verified: 2026-10-30 · Status: Changing

Tourism and export free zones bring in most of the country's hard currency outside remittances. Non resident air arrivals were 8.86 million in 2025 and 7.14 million in January to September 2026, up 8.6 percent. Tourism income was about US$11.3 billion in 2025, and hotels, bars and restaurants are 8.3 percent of GDP. The free zones had 98 parks, 858 companies and 200,237 direct jobs at the end of 2025 and exported about US$8.5 billion, 73.4 percent of it to the United States, where a new 12.5 percent duty applies to most goods.

USD figures use the Banco Central de la República Dominicana reference selling rate of RD$60.9007 per US dollar for 29 October 2026, the latest row in its published rate file on the verification date. Conversions are for orientation only. Official US dollar figures published by the Banco Central or the budget are shown as published.

Key facts

Non resident air arrivals 2025	8860709 peopleBanco Central, Llegada de pasajeros, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Non resident air arrivals January to September 2026	7143739 peopleBanco Central, Llegada de pasajeros, as of 2026-09-30 · in force
Tourism income 2025	11321.4 USD millionBalanza de pagos MBP6, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Average daily spend 2025	170.94 USDBanco Central, Gasto y estadía, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Average stay 2025	7.85 nightsBanco Central, Gasto y estadía, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Hotel rooms, end 2025	94367 roomsBanco Central, Indicadores de turismo, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Hotel occupancy 2025	75.0 %Banco Central, Indicadores de turismo, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Hotels, bars and restaurants share of 2025 GDP	8.3 %PIB por origen base 2018, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Free zone parks, end 2025	98 parksInforme Estadístico 2025, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Free zone companies, end 2025	858 companiesInforme Estadístico 2025, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Free zone direct jobs, end 2025	200237 jobsInforme Estadístico 2025, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Free zone exports 2025	8548.6 USD millionInforme Estadístico 2025, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
United States share of free zone exports 2025	73.4 %Informe Estadístico 2025, Cuadro 47, as of 2025-12-31 · in force

The rule

1. Non resident air arrivals were 8,860,709 in 2025, up 3.8 percent: 7,341,745 foreigners and 1,518,964 Dominicans living abroad.Banco Central, Llegada de pasajeros no residentes, No Residentes 78 a 26, 2026-09-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

2. In January to September 2026 arrivals were 7,143,739, up 8.6 percent, with foreigners up 9.7 percent to 6,025,845 and non resident Dominicans up 3.1 percent to 1,117,894. In September, usually the low month, arrivals were 533,793, up 8.9 percent.Banco Central, Llegada de pasajeros no residentes, No Residentes 78 a 26, 2026-09-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: Air arrivals in the first nine months of 2026 were up 8.6 percent on the same period of 2025.

3. Tourism income was US$11,321.4 million in the 2025 balance of payments, and US$6,709.8 million in the first half of 2026, up 15.2 percent. The governor reported about US$9,700 million for January to September, and the bank projects more than US$12,200 million for the year.Banco Central, Balanza de pagos trimestral; nota de remesas de 11 de octubre de 2026, BOP_TRIM_ACUM, 2026-10-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30

4. Visitors spent an average of US$170.94 a day and stayed 7.85 nights in 2025. In 2026 the figures were US$187.29 and 8.27 nights in the first quarter, and US$170.54 and 7.24 nights in the second.
Example: About RD$81,729 a visitor. / 7.85 nights at US$170.94 is about US$1,342 a visitor.Banco Central, Gasto diario y estadía promedio, Serie 1993 a 2026, 2026-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

5. The country had an estimated 94,367 hotel rooms at the end of 2025 and average occupancy of 75.0 percent. In January to June 2026 rooms were 94,357 and occupancy 81.5 percent. The room estimates come from the hotel association and are published by the Banco Central.Banco Central, Indicadores de turismo, 1980 a 2026, 2026-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

6. Hotels, bars and restaurants are 8.3 percent of 2025 GDP and grew 5.6 percent in January to September 2026. They employed 474,984 people in the second quarter of 2026, or 9.0 percent of all employment. Tourism received US$1,288.1 million of FDI in 2025, the largest of any sector.Banco Central, PIB por origen, ENCFT and Flujos de IED, Ponderación 2025; 1_1 Ocupados Rama; IED por actividad, 2026-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30

7. Free zones are a customs and tax regime. Ley 8-90 grants operators and companies in the zones a 100 percent exemption from a listed set of taxes, including income tax, certain construction, loan and property transfer taxes, company formation taxes, municipal taxes and import duties. Later laws, including Ley 139-11 and Ley 253-12, changed parts of this picture; see the tax page before relying on the list.Ley 8-90, art. 24, 1990-01-15 official text · verified 2026-10-30

8. At the end of 2025 the free zones had 98 parks and 858 companies in operation, with 200,237 direct jobs, 53 percent held by women. They exported US$8,548.6 million of 1,607 products to 148 countries.Consejo Nacional de Zonas Francas de Exportación, Informe Estadístico 2025, Resumen and Cuadro 1, 2026-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30

9. The mix has moved up the value chain. Medical and pharmaceutical products are 34 percent of free zone exports and electrical and electronic products 13.7 percent. The United States took 73.4 percent of the value exported in 2025, Puerto Rico 4.0 percent, the Netherlands 3.2 percent and Haiti 2.9 percent.Consejo Nacional de Zonas Francas de Exportación, Informe Estadístico 2025, Presentación and Cuadro 47, 2026-06 official text · verified 2026-10-30

10. Free zones grew 2.8 percent in January to September 2026, and received US$437.9 million of FDI in 2025 and US$223.2 million in the first half of 2026.Banco Central, governor's report; Flujos de IED por actividad, IED por actividad, 2026-10-23 official text · verified 2026-10-30

11. The US Section 301 action of July 2026 sets a 12.5 percent rate on Dominican products, with exceptions. With about three quarters of free zone exports going to the United States, this is the sector's most direct new exposure. Goods under annex exceptions, and CAFTA textiles entered free of duty, are treated differently.USTR, Notice of Action, Section 301 forced labor investigations, section 15, 2026-07-23 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: New from 24 July 2026.

Month	2025	2026	Change (%)
January	759,929	825,847	8.7
February	740,650	824,080	11.3
March	819,976	953,718	16.3
April	749,211	799,203	6.7
May	673,705	743,983	10.4
June	770,403	816,512	6.0
July	863,780	921,123	6.6
August	707,146	725,481	2.6
September	490,273	533,793	8.9

Non resident air arrivals by month. Source: Banco Central, Llegada de pasajeros.

Year	Parks	Companies	Direct jobs	Exports (US$ million)
2006	56	555	148,411	4,678.6
2009	47	553	112,618	3,793.5
2013	55	602	144,383	4,976.4
2025	98	858	200,237	8,548.6

Free zones over time. Source: CNZFE, Informe Estadístico 2025, Cuadro 1.

Worked example

Exposure to the US duty. Free zone exports of US$8,548.6 million times 73.4 percent to the United States is about US$6,275 million. A 12.5 percent duty on a US$100 shipment that is not excepted adds US$12.50, about RD$761. A textile good entered free of duty under CAFTA is treated differently; check the annex for each product.
A tourist's value. 1,000 extra visitors at the 2025 averages bring about US$1,342,000 (about RD$81.7 million), before imports used to serve them.

Step by step

1. For a hotel project, check the tourism incentive rules on the tax incentives page, then model seasonality: September arrivals were about half of December's in 2025.
2. For a free zone operation, apply to the Consejo Nacional de Zonas Francas and read the free zone trade and tax pages.
3. Before pricing US sales, map each product to the USTR annexes.
4. Use the Banco Central's monthly arrivals file for tracking.

Common traps

Reading arrivals as tourists only. The total includes Dominicans who live abroad, 17 percent of the 2025 count, and excludes cruise passengers, who are a separate series.
Two tourism income figures. The balance of payments shows US$11,321.4 million for 2025 and the tourism indicators table US$11,318.5 million.
Relying on Ley 8-90 art. 24 alone. Later laws changed free zone tax treatment. See the free zone tax page.
Small gaps between note and file. The August IMAE note gives 6,610,506 arrivals for January to August; the data file shows 6,609,946.
Assuming the 34 percent medical share is only devices. The council's phrase is medical and pharmaceutical products.

Sources

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