Not Aruba, with its paradisiacal beaches and colorful cities, nor Jamaica, with its lively carnival and lush jungles: the Caribbean island that will set all tourist records in 2025 is a fast-growing, trend-setting Dominican Republic.
Between January and August 2025, the tropical powerhouse recorded a historical 8,005,257 tourists, no less 49% jump of 2019, the previous record year, and it doesn’t look like we’re slowing down soon.
The real question is: why do tourists flock there in the first place, and what awaits the DR as a destination?
After all, it’s not the only island in the Caribbean that boasts a turquoise sea and sugar-white sand.
It is home to Punta Cana
The main destination in the DR, and where everyone applies to all-inclusives and those paradisiacal tropical beaches, perhaps Punta Cana the main driver behind the stratospheric rise in the country’s popularity with holidaymakers.
When it comes to the glitzy, well-appointed hotel strip, there is tons of options, from budget to luxury and everything in between, so visitors can head to their favorite island and lounge by the pool without worry.
Furthermore, compared to some other Caribbean destinations, especially the Dutch Caribbean or parts of Mexico, you get a lot of for what you pay-at the Caribe Deluxe princessa week’s all-inclusive stay will cost you just $1,071.
Don’t forget all the incredible activities on offer, from snorkeling to catamaran cruises, golfing and day trips to islands. In summary: Punta Cana is the typical Caribbean getaway.
Massive connectivity
Another reason why the DR is so extremely popular with Americans is how accessible it is. Not only in terms of affordability, but also in terms of to flee.
There are around 28 US cities offering year-round direct flights to Punta Cana, by far the Dominican Republic’s busiest airport, 9 hosting Santo Domingo flights, allowing Americans to effortlessly reach the island’s capital, and 6 with an active airlift to and from Puerto Plata.
You can even fly to up-and-coming La Romana from Miami International.
A majority of tourists will be heading to Punta Cana, and in that case, chances are your nearest airport, whether it’s a major hub like Atlanta or Chicago, or somewhere like Concord (NC) or Norfolk (VA), a gateway to the Caribbean hotspot.
No stressful layovers: paradise is literally a 2:30 to 4:30 flight away!
The DR is not just beaches
There can be no discussion about the DR without bringing up its rich cultural heritage. After all, it is home to the eldest European built city on this side of the pond.
That would be Santo Domingo, the country’s vibrant capital, centered around a colonial-era historic center dotted with European-style Spanish Baroque churches. squares bordered by dining options, and dominated by the rising Catedral Primada de America.
This was the very first cathedral built in America, as early as 1541.
A stroll through Santo Domingo is like stepping back in time, to a time when horse-drawn carriages, not cars, ruled the traffic and transatlantic trade was at its peak.
Other must-sees include the Alcazar de Colóna palace where Diego Columbus, son of Christopher Columbus, was born, Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest European fort still standing in AmericaAnd Calle las Damasa postcard-ready cobblestone street that is said to be America’s first.
A level 2 destination
The Dominican Republic is not exactly the safest destination in the Caribbean: Like many underdeveloped countries in the South, it is broadly affected by higher levels of urban violence and petty crime, especially in larger urban centers.
That said, there is still some nuance to be observed here:
The US Department of State itself considers the DR a level 2 destinationciting Americans are not discouraged from visiting, but they should still exercise “more caution,” especially when venturing outside heavily policed tourist zones and hotels.
Then there’s the fact that hotel strips in Punta Cana, La Romana, Puerto Plata and other popular beach towns across the country are incredibly well policed, and of course visitors on the resort grounds have little to do when it comes to safety.
Outside of resorts, traveling through the DR does carry risks, but as long as you don’t wander alone in suburban areas of larger cities like Santo Domingo and Santiago, walk around at night in dimly lit areas and show signs of wealth, that are enormous reduced.
No ETAs or visas required
Last but certainly not least, the DR has a extremely friendly visa policy towards Americans. If you hold a US passport, visas, ETAs and digital entry permits are not required for a short stay as a tourist.
Recently there has been a large increase in countries, including in the Caribbean, adopting the polarizing Entry Travel Authorization system: this means they now expect citizens of visa-exempt countries to apply for entry permits online for to fly.
This is now the case in the UK, it will soon be adopted in much of Europe, and in the Caribbean a notorious example is Saint Kitts and Nevis, which rolled out an ETA this year.
Fortunately for tourists traveling to Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic has not taken any steps to add an ETA to their list of entry requirements.
As a US citizen, you simply need to carry a passport valid for the duration of your stay, and be prepared to show proof of return or onward travel as needed at the border.
The only truly bureaucratic mandate is the electronic entry/exit form, which combines immigration, customs and health declarations into a single, uniform online questionnaire, but that is free to submit and can be done in just a few minutes.
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