Tourism Drives Purchases: Over RD$220,000 Million in Goods and Services

The Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores) opened its 38th Trade Show 2026 this week with a figure that makes you do the math: the tourism sector moves over RD$220,000 million in goods and services every year. It's not decorative, it's the number that explains why the industry carries real weight in the economies of provinces like La Altagracia, Puerto Plata, or Samaná.

That purchasing power doesn't stay inside hotels, it reaches dozens of sectors: food, beverages, furniture, tech, textiles, transport, and services. Asonahores turns it into a showcase with its trade fair, where suppliers and hoteliers close deals that later show up in local employment and municipal tax revenue. Here's my take: when we talk tourism, we're not just talking sun and beach, we're talking about the chain that supports thousands of families.

The fair, held September 3, 5 in Punta Cana, is the best gauge of that momentum. The full story is here. For the industry, the real news isn't just the number, it's that it keeps growing. Every peso tourism spends on local suppliers is a peso that strengthens the destination. I hope this dynamic inspires MITUR and local governments to look after small suppliers, because that's where the impact truly lands.