The director of the Dominican Port Authority (Apordom), Jean Luis Rodriguezreported that the constant investment in port infrastructure and public-private partnerships in the south of the country have significantly boosted the arrival of cruise passengers through Red Capein Flints.
During the presentation of the Forum “Port Modernization and Exportation: Promoting Global Connectivity”, held jointly with the Association of Shipowners of the Dominican Republic (ANRD) and the Dominican Association of Exporters (Adoexpo), Rodríguez said they expect to close the year with the arrival of approximately 20 thousand tourists through this port. «And by 2025, we hope to break the record with the arrival of 150 thousand visitors,» he added.
The official stressed that they will continue working on promoting tourism and connectivity through seaports throughout the country.
He recalled that earlier this year, the first vessel, “Pearl” was received from Norwegian Cruise Linewith 2,500 tourists. In April, the arrival of the “Nieuw Amsterdam” Holland America Line brought in an additional 1,935 visitors.
The director of Apordom highlighted that they are working on the revitalization of the maritime connection between Saint Peter of Macoris in the Dominican Republic and Mayagüez in Puerto Rico.
“This project, which will boost both logistics and tourism in both regions, involves an investment of approximately 80 million dollars and is expected to be completed in early 2025,” he said.
He added that in 2019, the country had three cruise terminals and received 1,133,000 cruise passengers. In 2023, that number grew to 2,258,941 with five terminals, “which represents an increase of 110% in less than four years of management.”
He stressed that the government’s goal is to reach three million cruise tourists by the end of 2024, according to Diario Libre.