Santo Domingo will have its own cruise port for $400 million.

Santo Domingo—The executive director of the Dominican Port Authority (Apordom), Jean Luis Rodríguez, announced that the city of Santo Domingo will have its cruise port. This project involves an estimated investment of $400 million and is expected to be completed by 2028.

“For me, Santo Domingo is a beautiful project. It’s about building a cruise ship dock near the Jaragua Hotel . It can be dismantled right on the Malecón, allowing visitors easy access to the Colonial Zone and positively impacting the area’s hotels, bars, casinos, and restaurants,” he said.

He explained that in addition to the project in the capital, other port infrastructure projects are being developed in different regions of the country, including Samaná, whose cruise terminal is expected to be ready this year; Arroyo Barril, planned for 2026; and Barahona, where work is also being done to strengthen maritime tourism.

Rodríguez emphasized that all cruise ports in the country have been developed through a private investment model, although with public participation in regulatory aspects.

“All the country’s cruise ports have been developed under a private investment model, of course, public-private, because they obviously need permits and regulations,” he said.

He highlighted the significant progress the country’s port system has made, including multimillion-dollar investments, security improvements, and sustained growth in port revenue and operations.

He also indicated that the country currently has 16 tourist and commercial ports, both public and concessioned, which are the most important in terms of traffic and operations. He explained that ten of these are private and six are public, all of which are under strict state regulation.

“Caucedo, which, although operated by the private sector, is considered a concession because it was built under Law 70, which establishes that every port in Dominican territory becomes part of the State, regardless of the initial investment,” he said.

During an interview on the morning program Su Mundo, Rodríguez stated that the port sector is experiencing its best times, not because of personal management, but because of the results evident in figures and institutional transformation.

“The Port Authority went from being one of those institutions that, if we look back, was viewed very unfavorably by the Dominican people and members of the political class. It was an institution that was handed over to political parties and appointed by them, and maintained a dynamic very similar to other government institutions. That changed radically,” he emphasized.