The Dominican Republic, one of the most attractive destinations for business and leisure travel
The Dominican Republic, partner country for FITUR 2022, has become one of the world’s most attractive destinations for trips that combine business and pleasure, and where MICE tourism is clearly on the rise. The number of visitors, the highest in the region, shows the country's efforts to continuously improve all aspects of its experiences, from accommodation to highways, entertainment, historical and cultural preservation, and meeting and convention facilities.
Offering the most varied landscapes in the Caribbean, from sea to mountains, valleys to dunes and endless white sandy beaches, as well as a wide variety of accommodation options, modern transportation infrastructures and work areas, in addition to multiple attractions, the Dominican Republic makes it easy to combine work and leisure, as stated by the country's Ministry of Tourism. In fact, MICE tourism is clearly on the rise.
The number of visitors, the highest in the region at currently over 6 million per year, shows “the country's efforts to continuously improve all aspects of its experiences, from accommodation to highways, entertainment, historical and cultural preservation, and meeting and convention facilities”. Added to this are 8 international airports, making it the best-communicated destination in the Caribbean, and a hotel base offering over 80,000 rooms, which make it an easy choice for group or incentive travel.
The best options
For large events, “the best option is still Punta Cana, as it offers the most all-inclusive hotels on the seafront, as well as the country's largest convention centres”. However, Santo Domingo, the capital, does not lag behind. “This first urban settlement in the Americas, with its Colonial City that is a UNESCO World Heritage site, brimming with historical stops, is home to the main international hotel chains, with casinos, and the country's gastronomy centre, making it the perfect location for culture, history and night-life”.
To the East, the luxurious accommodations and golf courses at La Romana, along with the amazing beaches close to Bayahíbe, a national park and islands near the
coast, attract small and medium-sized events”. To the North, “Puerto Plata is an excellent option for medium-sized meetings, complemented with an outdoor adrenaline-fuelled itinerary and culture for team-building activities”. The boutique hotels in Samaná, a paradise of hidden beaches and mountains, along with some of the best wildlife observation points in all of the Dominican Republic, are ideal for smaller groups.
As explained by the Ministry of Tourism, “the experienced meeting planners and sales teams, based around the main destinations in the Dominican Republic, are only a phone call away and will create unforgettable experiences, coordinating the right place, transportation and hiring multi-lingual assistants” for groups.
Between meetings, one can “beach-hop and sail, choosing among the almost 1,600 kilometres of coast; play at one or more of the 26 golf courses; enjoy hikes and adrenaline-rushing ziplines; visit coffee or cocoa plantations; cool off in freshwater lagoons and water caves; snorkel around reefs and shipwrecks; explore the diverse gastronomy; and relax under the stars at one of the world-class marinas or resorts on the seafront”.