img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:66.666666666667%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-2::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-2{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-3::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-3{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-4::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-4{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-5::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-5{display:block;}Not Aruba, with its paradisaical beaches and colorful towns, nor Jamaica, with their vibrant carnival and lush jungles: the Caribbean island setting all-time tourism records in 2025 is a fast-rising, trend-setting Dominican Republic.
Between January and August of 2025, the tropical powerhouse registered a historic 8,005,257 tourists, a whopping 49% jump from 2019, the previous record year—and it doesn’t look like it will be hitting the brakes anytime soon.
The real question is: why are tourists flocking there in the first place, and what lies ahead for the DR as a destination?
After all, it’s not like it’s the only island in the Caribbean flaunting turquoise seas and sugar-white sands.
It’s Home To Punta Cana
The leading destination in the DR, and where everybody goes for all-inclusives and those paradisaical, tropical beaches, Punta Cana is perhaps the main driver behind the country’s stratospheric rise in popularity with vacationers.
When it comes to the glitzy, well-equipped hotel strip, there’s tons of options, from budget to luxury and everything in between, so visitors can just rock up to their favorite island and lounge by the poolside, no worries.
On top of that, compared to some other Caribbean destinations, particularly the Dutch Caribbean or in parts of Mexico, you get a lot for what you pay—over at the Caribe Deluxe Princess, an all-inclusive week-long stay will set you back by only $1,071.
Don’t forget all the incredible activities in offer, from snorkeling, to catamaran cruises, to golf, to day trips to islands. Summing it up, Punta Cana is the quintessential Caribbean getaway.
Massive Connectivity
Another reason why the DR is so massively popular with Americans is how accessible it is. Not only as far as affordability goes, but in terms of flights.
There are around 28 U.S. cities that offer year-round direct flights to Punta Cana, by far and wide the Dominican Republic’s busiest airport, 9 that host Santo Domingo flights, helping Americans effortlessly get to the island-nation’s capital, and 6 with an active skybridge to and from Puerto Plata.
You can even fly to up-and-coming La Romana from Miami International.
A majority of tourists will be headed for 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) is a gateway to the Caribbean hotspot.
No stressful layovers: paradise is a literal 2h30 to 4h30 flight away!
The DR Is Not Just Beaches
There’s no discussing the DR without bringing up its rich cultural heritage. After all, it is home to the oldest European-built city on this side of the pond.
That would be Santo Domingo, the country’s lively capital city, centered around a colonial-era Historic Center dotted with Spanish Baroque churches, European-style plazas bordered by eateries, and dominated by the soaring Catedral Primada de América.
This was the first-ever cathedral built in the Americas, as far back as 1541.
A walk around Santo Domingo is like stepping back in time, to when it wasn’t cars, but horse-drawn carriages that ruled traffic, and the Transatlantic trade was at its peak.
Other must-sees include the Alcázar de Colón, a palace where Diego Columbus, son of Christopher Columbus, was born, Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest European fortress still standing in the Americas, and Calle las Damas, a postcard-ready paved street said to be America’s first.
A Level 2 Destination
The Dominican Republic isn’t exactly the safest destination in the Caribbean: like many underdeveloped nations in the Global South, it is broadly affected by higher levels of urban violence and petty crime, especially in larger urban centers.
That being said, there’s still some nuance to be observed here:
The United States Department of State itself considers the DR a Level 2 destination, citing Americans are not discouraged from visiting, yet they must exercise ‘increased caution’, especially when venturing outside highly-surveilled tourist zones and hotels.
Then there’s the fact that hotel strips in Punta Cana, La Romana, Puerto Plata, and other popular beach towns around the country are incredibly well-policed, and naturally, within resort grounds, visitors have very little to concern themselves with where security is concerned.
Outside resorts, traveling around the DR does come with its risks, but as long as you don’t wander off in suburban zones of larger cities like Santo Domingo and Santiago, all by yourself, walk around in poorly-lit areas at night, and display signs of wealth, those are greatly reduced.
No ETAs Or Visas Required
Last but certainly not least, the DR has an extremely friendly visa policy towards Americans. If you’re a U.S. passport holder, no visas, ETAs, digital entry permits are required for short stays as a tourist.
Recently, there’s been a surge in countries, including in the Caribbean, that are adopting the polarizing Entry Travel Authorization system: this means they now expect citizens of visa-exempt countries to apply for an entry permit online before flying.
That’s the case now in the United Kingdom, it will soon be applied across much of Europe, and over in the Caribbean, a notorious example is Saint Kitts and Nevis, which rolled out an ETA this year.
Fortunately for Punta Cana-bound tourists, the Dominican Republic has not moved to add an ETA to their list of entry requirements.
As a U.S. citizen, you must simply carry a passport that’s valid for the duration of your stay, and be prepared to show proof of return or onward journey if required at the border.
The only truly bureaucratic mandate is the Electronic Entry/Exit Form, which combines immigration, customs and health declarations into a single, unified online questionnaire, but that’s free to submit, and it can be done in only a few minutes.
Vinicius CostaVini, our senior lead writer at Travel Off Path, has over 60+ countries under his belt (and currently weaving tales from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative stories that will have you packing your bags.
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