Dominican Republic – private airport acts as a catalyst for more investment in the country

Of all the many examples of airport privatisation in the world, several stand out for their originality, and one of them is the Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic. Ostensibly built to service a resort area and extensive real estate development, it also acts as a gateway to the eastern end of the island of Hispaniola, which the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti.

Punta Cana is claimed to be the most highly visited Caribbean vacation destination.

Now there is to be an expansion of the airport, which will get a US border pre-clearance checkpoint, and an associated Free Trade Zone. These developments are being used by the president as a rallying call to investors anywhere to have faith in the country.

In the meantime, having weathered the COVID-19 storm, the airport can look forward to tourists continuing to return – from North America especially.