Why the Dominican Republic is betting on cruise tourism

At the Fitur international trade show in Madrid, Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises, sealed a historic alliance for Dominican tourism by announcing that the MSC Opera will make the port of La Romana its permanent home port starting in November 2026. This initiative builds on a successful collaboration that began in 2014 and is expected to generate a massive influx of 120,000 new international visitors per year.

This annual deployment represents a strategic first for the company in the Southern Caribbean and illustrates why the cruise industry has become the primary driver of the Dominican economy: by breaking the traditional seasonality through year-round operation, this project guarantees a Unprecedented financial stability for local communities, businesses, and service providers in the southern region of the country.

The « home port » model is particularly crucial as it significantly increases the economic benefits compared to a simple port call, notably through « Stay & Cruise » packages that encourage passengers to stay in local hotels before or after their 7- or 14-night cruise, thus maximizing hotel occupancy rates and land-based spending.

By including exclusive stops on Catalina Island, a protected nature reserve where cruise passengers can explore pristine coral reefs, MSC Cruises is showcasing the Dominican Republic’s ecological heritage while connecting the country to key destinations such as Martinique, the British Virgin Islands, and Antigua and Barbuda.

This integrated strategy, supported by Tourism Minister David Collado, is transforming the Dominican Republic into a major Caribbean logistics hub thanks to « Flight and Cruise » packages, proving that by 2026, cruising is no longer just a travel segment, but the backbone of sustainable, diversified, and decidedly international tourism development.

PR