Rainieri explained that the group will make investments of around US$1 billion over the next few years, spread across five tourist destinations
SANTO DOMINGO. – Grupo Puntacana, the company that for more than four decades has been identified with the tourism development of the east of the country, now has a confirmed presence in the two projects of highest priority for the Dominican Government: Punta Bergantín, on the north coast, and the new destination of Pedernales, in the southwest.
Both participations were confirmed by Frank Elías Rainieri, president and CEO of the group, during the panel "Building a Regionally Integrated Tourism Strategy", held within the framework of the Americas Investment Forum (AIF) 2026, organized by ProDominicana from July 1 to 3 in Santo Domingo.
Rainieri detailed that the group will execute investments close to US$1 billion during the next few years, spread across five tourist destinations: the consolidation of its presence in Miches, where Zemí Miches already operates; a new W Hotels in Uvero Alto; a new property in Punta Cana; an alliance with Meliá Hotels International for a hotel in Punta Bergantín, and its participation in the development of Pedernales.
The data marks a change of scale for a company whose identity was historically linked to a single destination.
Two projects, one public-private partnership
Grupo Puntacana's entry into Punta Bergantín is not new. The alliance with Meliá Hotels International to develop a hotel within that project was announced at the 2024 International Tourism Fair (FITUR), with an estimated investment exceeding US$70 million for a 300-room complex plus a 100-apartment condo-hotel.
Punta Bergantín, located in Villa Montellano, east of Puerto Plata, is an initiative of the Dominican Government supported by Banreservas, structured through a trust that manages a polygon of 10 million square meters with 2.89 kilometers of coastline, and whose master plan includes between four and six five-star hotels, a golf course, an innovation center and a film studio.
The participation in Pedernales, however, places Grupo Puntacana within the current government's largest project for the south of the country. The Cabo Rojo Tourism Development Project, led by the Pro-Pedernales Trust, contemplates an estimated investment of US$2.245 billion in four phases over a decade, with an initial phase of US$1.3 billion for 4,700 hotel rooms, later to be expanded to 12,000.
Cabo Rojo International Airport is currently under construction. Its opening is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026, and the first hotels in the destination, including one operated by Iberostar, are projected to open gradually throughout the year.
Less exclusive foreign capital, more local entrepreneurship
Rainieri framed his own announcement within a broader change that, as he described it, is taking place in the Dominican hotel sector: a few years ago investments came mainly from international companies, while today Dominican businesses are investing heavily in the country's tourism.
The case of Grupo Puntacana, now present in the Government's two flagship projects in addition to its historical developments in Punta Cana, Miches and Uvero Alto, illustrates that argument with concrete data.
The businessman also pointed to the growth of US participation in the national hotel development, a sector dominated for many years almost exclusively by Spanish chains, which in his opinion diversifies the origin of foreign capital and expands the presence of new international brands in the country.
High-level panel
Joining Rainieri on the panel were Gibrán Chapur, CEO of The Palace Company; Juan Manuel Martín de Oliva, Vice President of Tourism Business at Banco Popular Dominicano; Natalia Bayona, Executive Director of UN Tourism; Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism of Jamaica; and Carmen Caballero, President of ProColombia. The panel was moderated by Jacqueline Mora, Technical Vice Minister of the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic.
A forum with record-breaking results
Rainieri's announcement came during a forum that, according to ProDominicana, generated an estimated US$4.1513 billion in investment intentions for the Americas region, of which 90%, some US$3.736 billion, corresponds to projects targeting the Dominican Republic. The event, organized in partnership with the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), brought together more than 2,000 participants from 52 countries, including representatives from 26 Dominican Republic investment promotion agencies.
ProDominicana's executive director, Biviana Riveiro Disla, vice president of WAIPA, noted that these results are consistent with the national economic performance, which registered a historic record of US$5,032.8 million in foreign direct investment during 2025, and that in the first quarter of 2026 the country attracted US$1,671.9 million, a year-on-year growth of 16%.
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