Santo Domingo. -  The Central Bank on Tuesday said 4,538,913 million tourists arrived in Dominican Republic by air last year, or 5.9% more than in 2011, EFE reports.

The country received 256,175 more tourists in 2012 than in 2011, of which 206,133 were from North America, Dominican tourism top market source.

Breakdown

Of the tourists who visited the country last year 638,913 were Dominican resident and 3.9 million were nonresident aliens.

"This result represents a milestone for the Dominican economy, since despite the persistent external crisis, the Dominican Republic was among the fastest growing countries in tourism within the Caribbean region," the Central Bank said.

It hailed the Tourism Ministry and the private sector’s joint efforts to attract tourists, through promotions and agreements with tour operators, travel agencies, airlines and the participation in international fairs.

The Central Bank added however, that last year’s fourth-quarter 1.61% decline in arrivals compared with the same 2011 period, was the result in its view, of the effects of Tropical Storm Sandy in October, and fewer flights from U.S. and Canada airlines.