- The Dominican Republic is positioning itself as the leading tourism destination in the region. The strong backing of Banco Popular, BanReservas and BHD has had a positive and decisive impact on investment flows.
The country’s participation in the recently concluded International Tourism Fair (FITUR) in Madrid was highly successful, supported by strong representation from the Government, the private sector and the banking industry.
The scale of potential investments clearly reflects this success: more than US$13.37 billion in projects currently under negotiation for the next three to four years, including over US$10 billion in potential financing supported by Banco Popular, BanReservas and BHD.
In this context, the Dominican Republic demonstrates its leadership in regional tourism, positioning FITUR as a strategic platform for closing major investment deals within the sector.
Banking figures
By the close of business on Friday, Banco Popular reaffirmed its commitment to the tourism sector, reporting negotiations representing an estimated total investment of US$6.2 billion across 36 tourism projects in the country. Potential financing for these projects, initially projected at US$1.3 billion, ultimately increased to approximately US$3.1 billion.
Of these projects, five correspond to new developments. Ninety percent of the negotiated portfolio is allocated to the hotel sector, while the remaining 10% relates to complementary tourism offerings.
Investor interest channeled through Banco Popular is distributed as follows: 60% of projects are located in the Eastern region, while the Northern and Southwestern regions account for the remaining 40%.
The bank indicated that its financial support for these initiatives is expected to result in the construction and renovation of approximately 14,000 hotel rooms, as well as the generation of around 13,000 direct jobs and 39,000 indirect jobs, with a significant impact on regional economic development.
In its business report, BanReservas announced the successful closing of investment agreements exceeding US$6.5 billion, which translate into financing expectations of more than US$4.2 billion for the development of tourism projects in the Dominican Republic.
These investments are expected to enable the construction of approximately 11,000 new hotel rooms.
Meanwhile, BHD projects investments exceeding US$2.97 billion. Approximately US$550 million will be invested in Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Sosúa, while an additional US$120 million will be allocated to healthcare and related service projects.
Ministry of Tourism and FITUR results
The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, highlighted the positive outcomes achieved at FITUR this year, attributing the results to the strong alliance between the Government and the private sector, particularly supported by the banking industry.
Key projections include:
- Over the next three years, nearly 10,000 new hotel rooms will be added (excluding real estate and mixed-use developments), increasing annual operating capacity to welcome more than 500,000 additional tourists.
- Miches continues to consolidate its position as an emerging tourism destination, with more than 900 new units to be added, on top of the more than 2,000 units already in operation.
- By the end of 2026, a total of 4,411 hotel rooms developed under the CONFOTUR framework are expected to be completed, enabling the country to accommodate an additional 414,000 visitors.
Tourism offering at FITUR
The national sports tourism strategy was presented, reinforcing a robust international sports events calendar for 2026. This agenda is expected to drive additional visitor arrivals through major events such as PGA Corales, Oceanman, the World Baseball Classic Santo Domingo, ATP Cap Cana and the Central American and Caribbean Games, among others.
Air connectivity
The Ministry of Tourism strengthened air connectivity with Europe through high-level meetings with CEOs and senior executives from TUI, Air Europa, World2Fly, Iberia, Neos, Discover and Edelweiss.
These strategic partnerships with airlines—which collectively channel more than 90% of European tourism to the Dominican Republic—will consolidate a joint offer of more than one million additional inbound seats per year by 2026.
FITUR as a platform for new hotel developments
FITUR also served as the stage to announce new hotel projects, including:
- Paradisus Miches (Grupo Puntacana and Meliá), a sustainable 600-room hotel;
- Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana, a 467-suite adults-only resort; and
- Miches Grand, a large-scale mixed-use development that will add more than 7,000 units.
The “Taste Paradise” strategy transformed the country’s stand into a cultural and experiential hub.
Enhanced connectivity
Agreement with Iberia
Spanish airline Iberia and the Ministry of Tourism reached an agreement to further strengthen air connectivity between Spain and the Dominican Republic, enabling a 30% increase in flights to the country starting in 2026.
Alliance between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic launched their first multi-destination tourism campaign—an unprecedented milestone in regional tourism collaboration—marking a new phase in the international positioning of the Caribbean.
The joint campaign, titled “Together, We Are the Caribbean,” was conceived and developed collaboratively following discussions held during FITUR 2025 and was officially launched in the European market.
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