Puerto Plata cruise tourism and air travel drive Dominican tourism growth

Puerto Plata.- The director general of the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC), Igor Rodríguez Durán, highlighted the strong recovery of Puerto Plata cruise tourism and projected continued growth in air connectivity in the Dominican Republic. Speaking about his hometown—known as the “Bride of the Atlantic”—Rodríguez Durán recalled Puerto Plata’s role as the country’s first major tourist destination in the 1970s and said its experience has helped guide tourism development nationwide.

Rodríguez Durán emphasized that tourism is now a pillar of the Dominican economy, citing Central Bank data that confirm its expanding impact. He noted that Puerto Plata’s resurgence over the past five years has transformed it into one of the country’s most dynamic cruise destinations, thanks to coordinated efforts by government authorities and private stakeholders. “A tourist is a treasure,” he said, stressing that the province understands the importance of preserving and strengthening tourism activity.

On the aviation side, the IDAC director reported that air traffic in the Dominican Republic reached more than 217,000 operations in 2025, moving nearly 20 million passengers. This performance supported the arrival of over 11.7 million tourists, as confirmed by the Ministry of Tourism, with no major safety incidents—reinforcing the country’s reputation for safe air travel. Looking ahead, Rodríguez Durán announced that 2026 will mark the largest investment in air navigation equipment in IDAC’s history, further strengthening aviation safety and reliability. He also welcomed Copa Airlines’ new direct flight from Panama to Puerto Plata’s Gregorio Luperón International Airport, expressing confidence that more international carriers will continue to expand routes to this key Atlantic coast destination.