by Arturo Garcia Rosa - President & CEO, SAHIC Group

The Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean, has become one of the preferred destinations for hotel investors and the reasons are simple: privileged geographic location, solid legal structure, economic stability, modern infrastructure and of course a demand from the USA, a very close destination that undoubtedly closes a perfect mix.

Therefore, the destination, which has already outlined a plan to increase the number of rooms by around 30 thousand in the next few years, to support the expected growth, serves as an example for several other destinations not only in the Caribbean, but also in Latin America.

Along with this appetite for tourism growth, which is expected to end the year with a record of 11 million visitors, there is an increasingly strengthened promotion in almost the entire region. The case of Brazil stands out in particular, where the year-on-year growth for 2024/2023 is basically supported by the local market, to which is now added the outline of what seems to confirm that the Ministry of Tourism's objective of growing from 6 million international arrivals to the target of 8.1 million by 2027 seems not only accessible but even possible to exceed, just look at the significant growth in arrivals experienced last October in Rio de Janeiro. 

An issue that will have an important impact in this regard and will definitely help substantially improve the country's tourism balance is the devaluation of the Real (local currency), which will imply not only an attraction for international travelers but a greater number of trips made by Brazilians within their own country.

In a quick conversation with investors, they all agree that there is no lack of financial resources, what is needed is to create opportunities that are truly attractive to investors and the region undoubtedly has multiple destinations in a position to provide them. It is necessary to create the spaces to make them visible, to know more about who, with whom and in what framework the businesses that investors are looking for or waiting to be presented to them can be carried out.

Investors, hoteliers, businessmen, investment funds, private and multilateral banks, among other key players, will meet in Rio de Janeiro on March 24 and 25, 2025.