The Dominican Republic is an All-Star for Beach Resorts, Baseball and Economic Growth
There is a tendency for people to assume that the island nations of the Caribbean are all the same. However, over the past two decades the Dominican Republic has become the region’s rising star. The economy has grown at a phenomenal rate and seven million tourists are expected to visit the country in 2022 on planes and cruise ships to enjoy its beach resorts, ecology, and interesting history. Economic conditions have improved on the island as has the nation’s sense of pride and identity over producing so many of Major League Baseball’s players and prospects.
A History of Struggle
Life in the Dominican Republic has been a struggle ever since Christopher Columbus explored the large island of Hispaniola in 1492 and claimed it for Spain. The Spanish built Santo Domingo on the southern coast, and it became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas. They used it as an important base for regional activities. Meanwhile, the native Taino residents, who were Arawak people indigenous to the Caribbean and Florida, died from disease and were suppressed along with African slaves for centuries thereafter.
The early 1800s saw the island devolve into a series of conflicts that lasted decades. After France assumed control of the Haitian portion of Hispaniola in the west, the Dominican Republic declared its independence from Spain in 1821 and then Haiti took over the Dominican section of the island for several decades. Even after the two countries were split again, civil war continued to divide Dominicans during the remainder of the 1800s. Despite strict rule by dictators in the 20th century, the situation deteriorated so badly from 1916 to 1924 and again in 1965 that the United States decided to occupy the country to control unrest and protect the economic interests of international companies. Eventually, a self-sufficient, representative democracy emerged and now the Dominican Republic has elected its own leaders since 1996.
Economic Development and Tourism
The shift in fortunes for the Dominican Republic over the last three decades has been pronounced. With only eleven million people in the country, the Dominican Republic has become one of the largest economies in the Caribbean and Central American region and is now the 66th largest economy in the world. Tourism produces 11.6 percent of national GDP, but other industries such as manufacturing, construction and mining including the world’s three largest gold mines also contribute to the economy. Agriculture is concentrated in the rich and fertile Cibao valley.
Signs of the country’s progress according to the World Bank include a substantial reduction in the poverty rate and the slow emergence of a middle class. With improved roads connecting major cities, a rapid transit system in Santo Domingo, and functioning power and telecommunications industries, the Dominican Republic has the foundation in place for future development. However, illegal immigration of several hundred thousand people each year has created conflict and resentment towards Haitian and Venezuelan workers is a lingering social and political problem.
Places to See and Things to Do
There are three main types of attractions for visitors to enjoy in the Dominican Republic as follows:
Beach Resorts- In prior decades, Americans and Europeans seeking a prototypical island vacation would flock to the Bahamas, St. Maartan, and various other islands around the Caribbean. But after beach resorts and golf courses began appearing along the coastline in 1990s, the building never stopped. There are now by some counts over one hundred all-inclusive resort complexes on the island which provide guests with airport transportation, a room, food and drink, swimming and watersports, golf and recreation, children’s activities and sometimes excursions for an inclusive price. Most of the resorts are four-star destinations but major hotel chains like Hyatt and Hilton have five-star resorts also. Visitors coming by air enter the country through the Santo Domingo las Americas Airport in the south and the Punta Cana Airport in the southeast near Catalina Island. Hotel occupancy during 2022 is running at 71 percent and guests average a 10 day stay.
Three major destinations for resort goers in the east part of the island are Bavaro beach and other beaches near Punta Cana renowned for their clear water, snorkeling, and aquatic activities; the beaches and golf courses near the city of La Romano; and the more remote resorts in Saona Island and Bayahibe which are popular for golf, scuba, and other aquatic activities. In the north, there are over 100,000 hotel rooms in Puerto Plata and the beach resorts east of the city. With the addition of the standalone Amber Cove Cruise Center, a complex with huge berths for large vessels and a shopping center, it is not unusual to have three cruise ships in the area on some days. Besides trips to the beach, the area offers excursions like a cable car ride to the top of nearby Pico Isabel de Torres, zip line adventures and other outdoor activities.
Santo Domingo – The history and culture of the Dominican Republic are on display in the capital city which boasts a population of over three million people. The Colonial Zone of the City was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1990. The Spanish colonialists left architectural treasures in place there from the 1500s and 1600s such as the earliest fortress, castle, monastery, and cathedral in all the Americas. For hundreds of years, Spain controlled much of its empire in the new world from Santo Domingo, and often had to defend its possessions in the region from other European powers and pirates of the Caribbean. Today, the Colonial Zone is also known for having a vibrant art scene and classic hotels from the past century.
Santo Domingo is the place where visitors can most easily experience the distinctive festivals of Dominican life and sample its popular products like cigars, rum, chocolate, and coffee. Finally, it is the center of the country’s baseball activities such as the Dominican Winter League which plays games during the winter months in and around Santo Domingo and features professionals from the major and minor leagues in the United States. It is also the headquarters of three dozen baseball academies where young athletes are trained and evaluated for future careers in the sport.
Environmental Activities – Ecotourism is growing throughout the interior of the country. Tours of the mountains, waterfalls and rainforests are increasing popular. For example, a short drive from Puerta Plata leads to the twenty-seven waterfalls of Rio Damajagua, a unknown destination for visitors until recently. The Dominican Republic may not have passed Costa Rica as the center for the region’s ecotourism, but it is actively promoting those activities as an added attraction for young people and cruisers.