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Tourism and Real Estate Attract One-Third of Foreign Investment in the Dominican Republic
Tourism and real estate accounted for nearly one-third of all foreign direct investment received by the Dominican Republic during the first half of 2026, as international investors continued to back the country's expanding tourism and vacation property markets.
The Dominican Republic attracted US$3.2765 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) during the first six months of 2026, marking a 7.7% increase over the same period a year earlier. Preliminary figures released by the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) show that tourism and real estate remained among the country’s most attractive destinations for international capital, reflecting continued confidence in sectors closely linked to the nation’s growing visitor economy.
According to the BCRD, tourism attracted 20.1% of all foreign investment flows between January and June, while real estate accounted for 12.4%. Together, the two sectors represented 32.5% of total FDI, underscoring the close relationship between tourism expansion and demand for vacation homes, resort developments, and residential investment projects.
Energy Remained the Largest Destination for Investment
Although tourism and property development captured a significant share of foreign capital, the energy sector ranked first, receiving 27.8% of total investment. Mining matched the real estate sector with 12.4%, followed by commerce at 10.6%, free trade zones at 6.6%, transportation at 4.3%, while all remaining industries together represented 5.9% of total inflows.
The Central Bank also noted that approximately US$2.19 billion, or about two-thirds of total FDI received during the period, consisted of new capital contributions from foreign investors, highlighting continued interest in long-term projects despite a competitive global investment environment.
Tourism Growth Continues to Support Investment
The strong performance of the tourism sector coincided with another record period for visitor arrivals. Official figures released by the Ministry of Tourism show that the Dominican Republic welcomed 6,616,671 visitors during the first half of 2026, an increase of 471,663 travelers, or 7.7%, compared with the same period in 2025.
Of that total, approximately 4.96 million visitors arrived by air, representing a 10% increase year over year, while more than 1.65 million cruise passengers entered the country through its ports. Continued growth in international arrivals has helped sustain demand for hotels, tourism infrastructure, and vacation-oriented residential developments across the country.
Investment Outlook Remains Positive
The first-half results represent the highest level of foreign direct investment ever recorded for this period and reinforce the Dominican Republic’s position as one of the Caribbean’s leading destinations for international capital. The Central Bank expects total FDI to exceed US$5.3 billion by the end of 2026, supported by ongoing investment in energy, tourism, real estate, mining, and export-oriented industries.
