By Caribbean Journal Staff



A new tourism hub in the Dominican Republic?

By Alexander Britell

CJ Editor in Chief

A major new tourism development has launched in the southern region of the Dominican Republic.

It’s called Puntarena, and the $1.5 billion project is the brainchild of the Puntacana, Rizek, Selman and Reid groups, aimed at creating a significant new tourism hub in the Dominican province of Peravia.

The project is located specifically in Sabana Buey in the municipality of Bani, with the site covering a total of 15.5 million square meters and boasting eight miles of coastline on its southern boundary.

Its location is crucial, as Bani is just about 30 miles from the country’s capital and air traffic hub, Santo Domingo.

Just six million square meters will be developed, however, safeguarding the remaining 9.5 million square meters, according to developers.

The project has been divided into five stages, with the first stage, Bahia Flamenco, already having launched.

Bahia Flamenco will include single-family residential lots, a condo-hotel with 600 apartment units with mountain and ocean views; a hotel area with 4,400 rooms, recreational areas including a beach club, sports club, restaurants, a yacht marina, stables and ecological trails and commercial and service areas.

It’s estimated to create an average of 1,800 direct and indirect jobs in he short and medium-term, with projections for 4,000 jobs in the long term, according to the company.

The project will also feature an ecological reserve area and a public beach, with all services managed by the GPC Foundation Institute.

According to developers, the vision is to build a “family-oriented destination that seeks to create long-term relationships and loyal guests, in which we serve as a model for sustainable and low-impact development positioning us as one of the leading projects in the Caribbean.”

Given the involvement of the Puntacana group, some are calling this a “second Punta Cana.” And if it comes to fruition, it’s likely that it will become a new pole of tourism in the Dominican Republic.