Punta Cana, positioned on the east coast of the Dominican Republic, has turn into internationally renowned as a wonderful tropical holiday vacation paradise with high-class, eco-stylish, worth-priced, accommodations. In simple fact, Punta Cana has now come to be the #1 vacationer location in the full Caribbean — and this remarkable transformation has happened more than just 28 years! This news has been noted in several of the preferred journey journals and journey internet sites. I want you to know that this stat is centered on Authentic knowledge, not just promoting buzz. The stats are gathered by the Caribbean Tourism Corporation, a non-income which keeps near tabs on 29 international locations in the Caribbean Location.
Under, I will go over this knowledge in additional depth. My discussion will centre around the info introduced in 2010 as the Caribbean Tourism Organization has not nonetheless released the December stats for 2011 so there is not yet a entire information set for that calendar year. On the other hand, if you examine the data available for the very first 11 months of 2011, the overall tendencies continue to be the similar.
The Dominican Republic received extra non-resident airport arrivals than any other country in the Caribbean, very easily beating out Cuba, the 2nd most preferred tourist spot. The next is a brief reference listing for you to check out the top 10 Caribbean locations along with the full number noted for non-resident airport arrivals:
1. Dominican Republic – 4,124,543
2. Cuba – 2,531,745
3. Cancun Mexico – 2,106,485
4. Jamaica – 1,921,678
5. Puerto Rico – 1,369,814
6. The Bahamas – 1,368,053
7. Aruba – 825,451
8. The US Virgin Islands – 691,194
9. Martinique – 476,492
10. St. Maartin – 443,136
Now, let’s crack these stats down even a lot more into European travel, US American journey, and Canadian travel. Europeans choose the Dominican Republic overwhelmingly as their #1 preferred Caribbean getaway spot. Their next most loved is Cuba. The United States has a close 4 way race in between Cancun Mexico, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Cancun edges out the other 3 but the Dominican Republic obtained 6.8% in just one yr and this pattern is continuing. Punta Cana is now the #1 desired destination in just the Dominican Republic for US Individuals, changing Puerto Plata on the north coast, which applied to be #1. Canadians also seem to be to actually like the Dominican Republic, in particular Punta Cana, deciding on it as their second favourite Caribbean vacation spot after Cuba. Be sure to be aware that United States inhabitants are not authorized to travel to Cuba.
So, with this convincing data in thoughts, permit me question:
How did Punta Cana get so well known?
With numerous well-liked vacationer destinations, it would be hard to pin-issue one distinct thing that built the spot soar in recognition. Not so with Punta Cana. On the Punta Cana coastline, which stretches for about 39 miles from Bavaro in the north to Cap Cana in the south, there is just one conveniently identifiable party that took place in 1984 that altered basically all the things and fully remodeled this location into the mega-preferred vacationer location it is currently.
Do I have your curiosity piqued yet? Maintain looking through…
Punta Cana is absolutely attractive. It features expansive silky white sandy beach locations with a heat glowing blue sea lapping alongside its shoreline. It is so inviting it phone calls you in – some say it even “seduces” you. When you include to that the thick grove of coconut palm trees swaying in the tropical breeze alongside the whole coast in this location, you have the legendary Caribbean paradise seen on put up-playing cards sent to all those again household who weren’t lucky ample to go on the trip but who will certainly would like they experienced.
However, ahead of 1984 several folks seriously understood about this tropical gem. It remained largely undiscovered by most earth travelers right until the building of the Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ). In Spanish, the official language of the Dominican Republic, this worldwide airport is identified as, “Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta Cana.”
You see, no matter how breathtaking a place is, if you have no convenient and moderately priced way to access the location, it won’t be viewed by quite a few individuals. Before the Punta Cana Intercontinental Airport was built, the very small air strip that experienced been crafted in 1971 could not deal with the substantial sizing jet planes. On top of that, in purchase to get there from yet another region, you experienced to fly into Santa Domingo, the money of the Dominican Republic, and then endure a 4 hour bumpy bus or taxi experience to Punta Cana. The unpaved highway was slim and full of gigantic potholes. The highway would also wash out in hefty rains and motorized automobiles were being at times held up by horse site visitors, earning the pace miserable for weary travelers seeking to get to their hotel.
The air targeted visitors of the PUJ has developed by leaps and bounds and is on study course this year (2012) to provide extra than 4 million men and women! It now receives significantly a lot more traffic than the upcoming busiest airport in the capital of Santo Dominigo. There is no other privately funded airport in the entire world that even arrives near to this degree of company achievement.
Persons appear to Punta Cana from all above the earth now. Worldwide airlines that serve the Punta Cana Airport are Air Canada, AirTran, American Airways, British Airways, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, KLM, Spirit, United, US Airways, and Westjet. United states of america 300, lately defunct (as of January 30, 2012), was set up by Apple Vacations and served PUJ for a extended time as very well. Canadian charter airways to the Punta Cana Airport incorporate Air Transat, Sunwig, Skyservice, and Canjet. They run through the chilly bleak Canadian winters.
So, an place that started with extremely humble beginnings about 4 decades in the past, now normally offers beds for extra than 70,000 men and women at a single time. Punta Cana has surely recognized itself as 1 of the major destinations planet vacationers consider of likely. And… there is no conclusion in sight for the advancement of this spot. The close to 39 mile Punta Cana coastline has in essence been a “gold rush” for the key hotel firms, primarily the Spanish owned kinds, because the location was opened up by the intercontinental airport. Stylish superior rise resorts, perfectly sited to take edge of the view, have sprung up pretty much overnight. The infrastructure has also vastly improved as dollars for significant jobs has poured in.
The Europeans and the Canadians appeared to have “found” Punta Cana prior to the US Americans did. On the other hand, around the last 10-15 years, the US Americans have been swiftly catching up. In actuality, this has occurred at this kind of a quick price, complete resorts have been created to cater specially to the US People as the customs of the Europeans and the Us citizens in some cases clash a little bit inside of the resorts, while some US People like the European ambiance.
US Individuals and Canadians in the Eastern Common Time Zone can depart on a direct flight in the early morning and get there in Punta Cana by mid-day with no jet lag as the time zones are the similar, other than for the duration of daylight discounts time when it is only 1 hour various. Even a journey from the west coast of the United States or Canada is a rather straightforward journey when you compare it to other equally unique locations.
The Punta Cana Airport also suits in properly with the Dominican landscape and helps make a good initial perception when travellers enter the nation. It has an open up-air layout with a picturesque thatched roof manufactured of palm fronds. All of the resources used to construct the airport had been brought in from neighborhood sources such as palm, neighborhood wood, and native coral. This was a extremely intentional effort by Frank Rainieri and the other traders in Grupo Punta Cana who privately funded the airport. Since they ended up under-funded for a undertaking of this magnitude, Frank Rainieri approached a Dominican architecture key at Pratt College. He agreed to do it at no charge to build a name for himself. He has due to the fact turn out to be pretty famous and has been paid well for other tasks in the Dominican Republic.
Originally, Grupo Punta Cana attempted to get the Dominican Republic federal government to fund, or at the very least partly fund, the creating of the global airport but after 8 yrs they uncovered they had to fund it privately completely on their very own. They should be credited for their eyesight and persistence for the reason that a privately funded airport of this magnitude had under no circumstances been built ahead of. They did have the substantially desired approval and cooperation of the Dominican Republic authorities although or the venture would have in no way gotten off the floor.
So, there you have it. The tourism accomplishment of the Punta Cana coastline hinged on a single detail: creating an global airport able of supplying holidaymakers simple and affordable accessibility to this stunning paradise. It took amazing vision and perseverance.