Punta Cana in top 3 of most underwhelming tourist cities globally

Santo Domingo.- Popular Dominican Republic resort destination Punta Cana has been ranked among the top three most underwhelming tourist cities worldwide in a new report by Radical Storage. The 2025 study, which analyzed a staggering 97,409 reviews from travelers across 100 of the globe’s most visited cities, reveals a significant disconnect between the idyllic image often portrayed and the actual experiences of visitors.

Punta Cana, renowned for its numerous all-inclusive resorts and stunning beaches, landed in third place on the list. The report highlights several key factors contributing to this dissatisfaction, including a perceived lack of authenticity, issues with deficient infrastructure, and the presence of aggressive vendors.

One particularly telling quote from a tourist in the report states, “A country that takes every dollar you have and then charges you to leave.” This sentiment underscores a feeling among some visitors that the tourist experience in Punta Cana is overly focused on extracting maximum financial gain, sometimes at the expense of genuine hospitality and value. Additionally, the city received the highest percentage of negative reviews mentioning rude service, accounting for 1.8% of the feedback.

Topping the list of underwhelming destinations were Cancún, Mexico, in the number one spot, and Antalya, Turkey, in second place. Cancún faced criticism for scams, inflated prices, and a lack of authenticity, while Antalya was flagged for over-commercialization and crowded beaches. Other cities in the top five included Beijing, China, and Orlando, USA, indicating that tourist disappointment can stem from a variety of factors across different types of destinations.

The Radical Storage report suggests that today’s travelers often arrive with high expectations, heavily influenced by carefully curated social media content and online travel guides. When the reality of a destination fails to live up to these idealized images, disappointment can be significant.

The findings for Punta Cana may prompt reflection among local tourism authorities and businesses on how to better align the visitor experience with the expectations of international travelers and address the specific concerns raised in the report.

Holy Week boosts hotel occupancy in Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo.- Aguie Lendor, executive vice president of Asonahores, reported that hotel occupancy rates in the Dominican Republic’s main tourist destinations have exceeded 90% during Holy Week. This surge is attributed to the overlap with the high travel season, which has increased demand in hotspots like Bávaro-Punta Cana, La Romana, and Puerto Plata.

Lendor noted that the eastern region, particularly Bávaro-Punta Cana, is experiencing the highest demand. Puerto Plata has reached a 94% occupancy rate, while La Romana is close behind at around 90%. Despite these high figures, hotel rooms are still available for last-minute travelers.

He clarified that a 90% occupancy rate does not mean all hotels are completely booked. “Some establishments are full, but others still have capacity,” Lendor explained, encouraging tourists to take advantage of the remaining availability, according to El Día.

Air Century launches new Santo Domingo–Bonaire route

Santo Domingo.- Air Century has announced a new seasonal route linking La Isabela International Airport in Santo Domingo with Flamingo International Airport in Bonaire, aimed at enhancing regional travel across the Caribbean. Starting June 18, the airline will operate weekly flights every Wednesday using its 50-seat MHI CRJ-200 aircraft. Introductory fares will begin at US$199 USD one way.

This new route marks a major step in improving accessibility between the Dominican Republic and Bonaire, offering a convenient and affordable travel option for both tourists and those visiting friends and family. It is expected to benefit cultural exchange and strengthen ties between the two islands.

The initiative is a joint effort between Air Century and the Bonaire Tourism Corporation. Officials from both sides expressed optimism about the route’s potential. Gregorio Matthew, Airport Operations Manager at BIA, emphasized the hospitality of the Dominican people, while Maarten van der Scheer, BIA’s director, highlighted the positive impact of competitive fares on travel accessibility for the Bonairean community.

Is the Dominican Republic the Silicon beach of startup culture?

The Dominican Republic has been setting the stage for startup culture for nearly a decade.
Is the DR startup ecosystem ready for global exposure?
Isn’t it called “Silicon Valley”?

The answer is: maybe.

The Dominican Republic is sending strong signals that it is becoming an international hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. Mirroring the USA’s Small Business Administration (SBA), enter RD-Emprende (DR does Business).

RD-Emprende is a sub-agency of the Dominican Ministry of Industry & Commerce (MICM), which launched in 2022. According to MICM, RD-Emprende brings together 38 entities that share resources to support the development of new companies. RD Emprende’s formation is part of a decade-long entrepreneurial movement in the Dominican Republic.

This movement was initiated in 2016 by then President Danilo Medina’s enactment of Entrepreneurship Law No. 655-16. This and other laws have been put into place to provide a very robust and comprehensive legal framework. This framework was built to make it easier for foreign businesses to operate within the DR for more substantial economic growth and development.
The Dominican president coined “Silicon Beach” BTW.

As part of a 2021 press release, President Luis Abinader announced “the urban development of 8.5 million square meters in Puerto Plata, where nine new world-class hotels and the “DR Silicon Beach” will be built.” This project is an “ecosystem of creativity and innovation where technology companies, national and international universities, research centers, corporations, and manufacturing will come together, and they will be able to set up shop and have all the facilities to develop their products and services.”

Between presidential announcements, friendly legislation, and public/private sector alliances, the DR still hasn’t produced a single economy-smashing tech startup or a startup culture that can rival its closest neighbor, Puerto Rico. Which, by the way, is home to Parallel 18, the largest international startup accelerator south of the United States.

So, what’s missing from the DR’s startup ecosystem?
In a big-picture view, it looks self-evident:

– Effective startup programming
– Mission, leadership, and vision
– Stronger collaboration within the corporate sector

In short, startup acceleration needs modernization. The incubation/accelerator scene in the DR is small but growing. Top acceleration programs include BOOST Acceleration Camp, CREE Banreservas, and Impúlsate Popular. The majority of these companies accept not only tech startups but SMBs as well.

In our analysis of acceleration programming in the DR, we observed a strong emphasis on mentorship, resourcing, and business formation. The problem is that the majority of industry leaders recruited to mentor startups are largely prestigious executives from big domestic industries. Great enterprise-level business savvy, but most lack real-world experience in startup growth.

As a startup in the Dominican Republic, revenue operations, accompanied by tactical support, world-class vendors, and experienced talent who have taken startups to market are still absent from the local ecosystem.

TechStars… is that you?
The most influential startup technology firms in the world, like Google, Amazon, and Uber, have internal innovation centers. The purpose is threefold:
1. Strategic and profitable venture capital investments that boost the company’s productivity, competitiveness, and market share.
2. Accelerate industry-focused technology from the talent that most closely drives industry innovation.
3. Remain at the competitive edge of market developments (remember Blockbuster vs Netflix?)

Large Dominican companies like Arajet in aviation and NewTech in software do not currently deploy VC initiatives to invest in or incubate startup technologies beneficial to tourism or nearshoring industries, respectively.

#PROVOKEVISIBILITY
In 2024, the #ProvokeVisibility Campaign was nominated by the United Nations World Summit Awards in the Dominican Republic to empower entrepreneurs’ economic growth and visibility on the Dominican startup scene. By creating a greater sense of pride and community around startup culture, more entrepreneurs will be effectively nurtured to world-class, economy-transforming status. In parallel, those same entrepreneurs provide modern resources, capital, and leadership to startups in the Dominican Republic.

A perfect example of the emphasis on the effect of startup culture is in many Asian countries, which place startup culture with celebrity status. This has led to rapid economic growth, industrialization, and national pride. Thus far, no one figure galvanizes Dominican startups like Steve Jobs did in the United States.

Laptop life: pick a beach!
The Dominican Republic is already prioritizing infrastructure, cybersecurity, and talent nearshoring on the list of strategic national interests. With greater collaboration and transparency among startup and innovation leaders, it will soon surpass Puerto Rico to become the region’s largest startup hub. Right now, for a scrappy and resourceful startup willing to take some extra steps, it’s a great location for digital nomads and startup founders alike.

Task Force to limit beach festivities during Holy Week for safety

Santo Domingo.- The Joint Task Force has announced the prohibition of mass parties in beach and resort areas during Holy Week to enhance security, ensure family-friendly environments, and prevent disruptions for citizens. This decision aims to protect the well-being of local communities and safeguard the safety of both local and foreign visitors enjoying the holiday season at popular tourist spots.

Authorities stressed the importance of maintaining restraint during this religious period, which holds deep significance for many Dominicans. They also confirmed that as part of the special Easter operation, there will be increased patrols, intelligence efforts, and preventive measures, particularly in beaches, rivers, resorts, and residential and commercial areas.

In collaboration with the Emergency Operations Center (COE), security and relief agencies will implement a comprehensive protection system to ensure safe travel across the country throughout the holiday period.

Miami Trade Show: Dominican Republic expects 500,000 tourists

Miami.- Tourism Minister David Collado inaugurated the third Dominican Republic Trade Show in Miami, Florida, bringing together 90 industry companies and over 500 representatives from North America, Canada, and Latin America. The two-day event serves as a key platform to strengthen business relationships with the country’s main tourist markets, which account for 87.5% of visitors to the Dominican Republic.

Collado emphasized that new agreements from the trade show are expected to attract over 500,000 additional tourists, driving hotel investments of approximately US$1.300 million, including US$274 million in new developments. The agreements could result in 4,425 new hotel rooms, 3,375 additional flights, over 33,000 jobs, and an estimated US$910 million boost to the national GDP. Foreign exchange earnings are also projected to rise by US$332 million, increasing local food consumption by 7% and the tourism sector’s GDP by 4%.

Dominican Republic sets record in international air traffic

Santo Domingo.- The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) reported that regional air traffic in January 2025 reached 42.3 million passengers, marking a 2.4% increase over the same month in 2024. This growth was fueled by revived routes, open-skies agreements, and rising tourism demand.

The Dominican Republic and Brazil set new records in international passenger traffic. The Dominican Republic recorded 1.8 million international travelers—its highest ever for a single month—while Brazil saw notable gains, including a 175% surge in flights between Florianópolis and Buenos Aires. Other highlights include Mexico’s Santa Lucía Airport (up 78%) and Argentina’s Tucumán Airport (up 116%).

ALTA Executive Director José Ricardo Botelho highlighted the industry’s positive outlook, supported by growing connectivity and new routes. However, he noted that high jet fuel costs—US$98.05 per barrel compared to US$208.05 for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)—remain a barrier to sustainable fuel adoption, emphasizing the need for supportive policies.

The region also saw strong intraregional growth, particularly on the Lima–Santiago route, now the busiest in Latin America with nearly 156,000 passengers. Total flights increased by 4.8% to 345,331, and the average load factor improved to 84.7%.

Dominican Republic fails to maintain tourism record: arrivals fall almost 10% in February

The Dominican Republic has become one of the leading vacation destinations in the Caribbean due to its attractive white sandy beaches, potential for luxury and sports tourism, and its Colonial City, an intangible heritage of humanity.

However, after four years of “records”, as the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, has called the growth of the tourism industry and its contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP), the data show a drop in arrivals of almost 10% in the first months of the year.

In February 2025, authorities recorded that 588,212 non-resident passengers crossed the Dominican Republic’s air terminals, a drop of 9.85 % from the same month of 2024, when the country received 755,832 foreigners.

The Tourism Intelligence System (Situr) indicated that 167,620 non-residents stopped arriving in the DR as tourists during February of this year.

Breaking down the data by region, the Americas stopped issuing 141,717 tourists, going from 652,487 to 510,770 in February 2024 and February 2025, for a negative inter-annual variation of 21.71%.

In the case of Europe, the continent that became the second largest source of tourists to the Dominican Republic, passenger arrivals decreased by 25.2% when comparing February 2025 (75,305) and February 2024 (100,804), whose loss has been previously explained by the suspension of long-haul flights, fuel costs and the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The Asian continent concentrated 0.2% of air arrivals to the Dominican Republic during February of this year. That is, 1,740 Asians out of the 588,212 non-resident passengers registered by Situr. The segment also presented a difference of 13.8% between February 2024 and the same month of 2025.

Situr recorded that tourists from Oceania varied from 227 to 154, that is, 73 fewer passengers as tourists, according to Acento.

Mitur said non-resident passenger arrivals were 1,348,141 between January and February this year. This represents a 10% inter-annual decrease, with 149,920 fewer tourists registered compared to the same period in 2024.

Agriculture launches cocoa seed project in Puerto Plata

Puerto Plata.- The Ministry of Agriculture officially launched the NDICI Seed Project on Wednesday, an initiative aimed at enhancing cocoa productivity in the Dominican Republic. Funded by the European Union and implemented by CISS/Jacarafe through the Ministry’s Vice Ministry of Rural Development, the project will introduce a comprehensive technological package to support sustainable cocoa cultivation.

Vice Minister Miriam Guzmán emphasized the project’s benefits for farmers, including the distribution of certified seeds, technical assistance, and training, along with improvements to road infrastructure in cocoa-growing regions. She encouraged producers to embrace such programs, especially given cocoa’s high demand in international markets.

As part of the effort, the Ministry will donate 60,000 cacao plants and offer another 40,000 at subsidized prices under the “Cultivar 10 tareas” program, which supports small-scale farmers. The launch event took place at the farm of Mario González in Los Hidalgos, Puerto Plata, and was attended by key agricultural and environmental officials, as well as representatives from the cocoa sector.