35-573: Punta Cana is a resort town in the easternmost region of the Dominican Republic . It was politically incorporated as the "Verón–Punta Cana township" in 2006, and it is subject to the municipality of Higüey ( La Altagracia Province ). According to the 2022 census, this township or district had a population of 138,919 inhabitants. Punta Cana is the second-most popular tourist destination in Latin America , with more visitors than any other city in
70-742: A 350-room hotel within the project. Later, the Barceló and Newco Group settled in the Bavaro area. In 1979, the Hotel Puntacana was built and then in 1984, the Punta Cana International Airport was inaugurated, while more infrastructures such as highways were developed. In 1993, construction began on the Marina de Punta Cana Resort & Club marina. In 1996, the Dominican designer Óscar de la Renta and
105-469: A low population density with the majority of the inhabitants being Haitian migrant workers. In 2010, Haitians represented 81.1 percent of the total population. Punta Cana is a tourist destination, and the area is a key contributor to tourism in the Dominican Republic . The Punta Cana International Airport is the primary airport. In 2014, Punta Cana received over 2.4 million passengers, making it
140-571: A research base for universities and a sanctuary for endangered species and has opened two schools- the Ann & Ted Kheel Polytechnic and the Puntacana International School- and a free health clinic in the local community of Véron. Bávaro was conceived as a town for the workers of the Punta Cana tourist complex, but it has been transformed into an important center for tourist services after
175-605: Is known today as Punta Cana was mostly an undeveloped coastal area of La Altagracia province. At the time the closest major city, Higüey , was a 5-hour drive. Their first project was a 40 guest hotel called the Punta Cana Club. In 1970, Rainieri changed the original name of the place, Yauya or Punta Borrachos, for Punta Cana. In 1978, the Paris Mediterranean Club joined the Grupo Punta Cana SA project, building
210-465: Is one of the tourist activities. The marine area surrounding Punta Cana was declared a marine reserve in 2012. Punta Cana received negative publicity in the summer of 2019 for a series of American tourist deaths. Initially these deaths were reported as “mysterious,” with tainted alcohol and pesticides being rumored as possible reasons. However, with the help of the FBI and United States Department of State , it
245-639: The Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean . The weather is hot for most of the year, especially in late summer and autumn when the Northern Tropics receive their most direct sunlight. The Punta Cana area has an estimated population of 100,000, with an annual growth rate of 11% as of 2011. To the north, it borders the village and beach of Cabeza de Toro, and the Bávaro and El Cortecito beaches. The nearest city,
280-400: The cost of living in the region. Sometimes, resort towns can become boomtowns due to the quick development of retirement and vacation-based residences. However, most of the employment available in resort towns are typically low paying and it can be difficult for workers to afford to live the area in which they are employed. Many resort towns have spawned nearby bedroom communities where
315-463: The 500-year-old Higüey , is 45 kilometres (28 mi) away, which takes about an hour to reach by car. European entrepreneurs, particularly Spanish hotel chains, own all but two of the over 50 megaresorts at the Punta Cana tourism destination. The province's 100-kilometre (62 mi) coastline tends to be mildly windy. The ocean waters are mainly shallows, with several natural marine pools in which visitors can bathe without danger. From north to south,
350-660: The Caribbean region. The Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) is located about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) inland, on the highway that leads from Higüey to La Romana. This airport receives 64% of all flights that arrive in the Dominican Republic, receiving more passengers than the Las Américas International Airport, located in Santo Domingo , the country's capital. The area is known for its white sand beaches, blue turquoise waters, and balnearios which face both
385-420: The Dominican Republic's smaller Caribbean islands of Saona and Catalina is a day trip from Punta Cana. The capital city Santo Domingo , and Los Haitises National Park , Samaná , are within a couple of hours. The Basilica Catholic Monument, built in 1962 and designed by two French architects, is in nearby Higüey, the 500-year-old capital of the province. Because of its location at the Caribbean Sea , diving
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#1732852150184420-573: The Fruisa crossroads; a new Texaco gas station opened in April 2010, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Macao beach; and the new Shell gas station close to the airport (on the highway Coral) opened at the end of 2010. Punta Cana Village, with a population of about 3,000, is being developed by a master plan of the Punta Cana Group. In 1969 the area was purchased by this organization and development began in
455-517: The Spanish singer Julio Iglesias joined the project. In 2000, the first of the residential community developments began and six years later Tortuga Bay opened. Corporate environmental and social responsibilities and policies have been pursued since the resort was built. The Puntacana Foundation- made of the Ecological Foundation and Community Services- has a 1,500-acre reserve that now serves as
490-525: The area working in the tourism or resort industry. Shops and luxury boutiques selling locally themed souvenirs , motels , and unique restaurants often proliferate the downtown areas of a resort town. In the case of the United States, resort towns were created around the late 1800s and early 1900s with the development of early town-making. Many resort towns feature ambitious architecture, romanticizing their location, and dependence on cheap labor. If
525-477: The country's overall economic growth and development. In addition, business generated by resort towns have been credited with supporting the local economy through times of national market failure and depression. In a study conducted by the Urban and Regional Planning Department of Istanbul Technical University , 401 local residents in the resort community of Antalya were interviewed and asked to give their opinion on
560-434: The day temperatures might reach 35 °C (95 °F). From November to March, temperatures during the evening are around 20 °C (68 °F). In the late 1960s, Frank Rainieri , a Dominican entrepreneur in his 20s and Theodore Kheel , a high-powered New York attorney and labor mediator, teamed up with other investors, to acquire a 58-million square meter lot on the eastern end of the Dominican Republic. The area that
595-580: The district is Veron, now bigger than Higüey in territory, a spontaneous – and poor – urban development running along the original road from the west. Verón, last name of the French proprietor of a timberline business in the early 1930s, is now the base-city for hotel workers and related. It has, besides Bávaro, one of only four gas stations in Punta Cana: the next one is located 48 kilometres (30 mi) west in Higüey, at
630-491: The economic impacts of tourism. Among the participants, 67% had lived in Antalya for over ten years, 66% had at least a high school degree, and 30% reported jobs that were related to tourism. The results are as follows: Perceived impact on select economic impact items (Antalya) More recently, resort towns have come under greater scrutiny by local communities. Instances where resort towns are poorly managed have adverse effects on
665-491: The entire eastern area are: BavaroDigital and BavaroMagazine. Bavaro is connected by road with Higüey and La Otra Banda. It extends about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north to Playa Macao . Other nearby beaches are: Uvero Alto, Roco Ki and La Vacama. Bavaro has 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of beaches. The XII Ibero-American Summit was held on this site on November 15 and 16, 2002, where the heads of state and government of 21 Spanish and Portuguese-speaking nations met. The area has
700-467: The excursions in Punta Cana are near the water, it being a beach destination. These activities include snorkeling, windsurfing, banana boat rides, speedboats, scuba diving, catamaran cruises, party boats, deep sea fishing, as well as swimming with dolphins and sharks and snorkeling with stingrays. For visitors who prefer to see more of the Dominican countryside, there are land-based excursions such as safari tours, horseback riding and dune buggies. Visiting
735-473: The following decades. The main avenue, Boulevard Primero de Noviembre, is lined with low office buildings. Branching off are streets with gated communities on both sides. To the east are single family residences. Small apartment buildings are to the west. A shopping area is near the airport and beyond the apartment houses is a mall and several stores. East of the village is the Westin Resort and golf course by
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#1732852150184770-969: The host country or the local communities. Income to local communities generated by tourism are all of the expenditures accrued after taxes, profits, and wages are paid out; however, around 80% of traveler's expenditures go to airlines, hotels, and international companies, not to local businesses. These funds are referred to as leakages . Tourism has also been blamed for other negative economic impacts to local communities. Although resort towns usually boast more improved infrastructure than surrounding areas, these developments usually present high costs to local governments and tax payers. Reallocating government funds to subsidize infrastructure and tax breaks to firms shift available funding to local education and health services. In addition, resort towns typically do not have dynamic economies, resulting in an over dependence on one industry. Economic dependence on tourism poses particular challenges to resort towns and its local residents given
805-514: The hotel expansion to the north of Punta Cana around Bávaro beach. Numerous tourist attractions have been installed, some of a certain size such as the Manatí Park in Bávaro, a water park with manatees, dolphins and other kinds of animals. For tourists, the Punta Cana beach area is more popular because it is more affordable at international prices. Among the best-known digital magazines and newspapers in
840-519: The local economy. One example is the uneven distribution of income and land ownership between local residents and businesses. During tourist season, increased demand for accommodation may raise the price of land, causing a simultaneous increase in rent for local residents whose income in invariably lower than foreign residents. This results in a preponderance of foreigners in the land market and an erosion of economic opportunities for local residents. The revenues amassed from tourism typically do not benefit
875-500: The main beaches are Uvero Alto , Macao , Arena Gorda, Bávaro, El Cortecito, Las Corales, and Cabeza de Toro, all north of the cape; and Cabo Engaño, Punta Cana, and Juanillo south of the cape. Bávaro is the area starting from Cabeza de Toro until Macao Beach. As the hotels started to rise along the east coast, Bavaro itself became a center of services with shopping malls, fast-food stores, drug stores, fine restaurants, banks, clinics, workshops, supermarkets, and schools. The major town in
910-658: The majority of the resort workforce lives. Resorts towns sometimes struggle with problems regarding sustainable growth , due to the seasonal nature of the economy, the dependence on a single industry, and the difficulties in retaining a stable workforce. Local residents are generally receptive of the economic impacts of tourism. Resort towns tend to enjoy lower unemployment rates, improved infrastructure, more advanced telecommunication and transportation capabilities, and higher standards of living and greater income in relation to those who live outside this area. Increased economic activity in resort towns can also have positive effects on
945-529: The ocean. There is a public beach, Playa Blanca, with a shuttle bus from the Village's sole hotel. An upscale planned community, Cap Cana, is south of Punta Cana Village. Punta Cana features a tropical wet and dry climate under the Köppen climate classification . The weather is fairly consistent all year, with an average temperature of 26 °C (79 °F). The hot and humid season lasts from May to October, and during
980-784: The other in Santiago ; they had more than 10 children. His parents were Francisco Rainieri Franceschini and Venecia Marranzini Lepore (daughter of the Italian immigrants Orazio Michelo Marranzini Inginio and Inmaccolatta Lepore Rodia, who migrated as children with their respective families, all of them natives of Santa Lucia di Serino , in southern Italy ). He went to college in Philadelphia at Saint Joseph's College, now Saint Joseph's University , finalizing them at APEC University, in Santo Domingo. He married Haydée Modesta Kuret Pacheco, whose father
1015-457: The resorts or tourist attractions are seasonal in nature (such as a ski resort ), resort towns typically experience an on-season where the town is bustling with tourists and workers, and an off-season where the town is populated only by a small amount of local year-round residents. In addition, resort towns are often popular with wealthy retirees and people wishing to purchase vacation homes , which typically drives up property values and
1050-417: The seasonal nature of the job market in some areas. Local residents of resort towns face job insecurity, difficulties in obtaining training, medical-benefits, and housing. Frank Rainieri Frank Rafael Rainieri Marranzini is a Dominican businessman in tourism industry in the Dominican Republic . He is the chairman and founder of Grupo Puntacana . According to Forbes , Rainieri has one of
1085-431: The second-busiest airport in the Caribbean. Grupo Puntacana built the Punta Cana International Airport in 1984 to facilitate tourism in the area. It was the western hemisphere's first privately owned international airport. The electricity is powered by Consorcio Energetico Punta Cana Macao (CEPM), a fossil fuel, renewable, and biomass energy producer led by US-based Argentine businessman Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster . Many of
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1120-471: The surrounding area. Sometimes the term resort town is used simply for a locale popular among tourists. One task force in British Columbia used the definition of an incorporated or unincorporated contiguous area where the ratio of transient rooms, measured in bed units, is greater than 60% of the permanent population. Generally, tourism is the main export in a resort town economy, with most residents of
1155-666: The ten largest fortunes in the Dominican Republic, with a net worth near the billion-dollar mark as of 2014. In 2015, he was designated ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Dominican Republic, a position that his father also held four decades earlier. Rainieri was born into a family with tradition in hospitality. His paternal grandparents, Isidoro Rainieri and Bianca Franceschini, migrated from Bologna , northern Italy , to northern Dominican Republic , and established two hotels, one in Puerto Plata and
1190-465: Was a Lebanese migrant and her mother is Dominican. She was Miss Dominican Republic contestant for Miss World 1971 . They are the parents of 3 children. In 1969, Rainieri and Theodore Kheel acquired a 58-million square meter land on the eastern end of the Dominican Republic, which was covered with jungle and six miles of beach. Their first project was a 40 guest hotel called the Punta Cana Club, inaugurated two years later. In 1979, they constructed
1225-480: Was found via toxicology reports that the deaths were from natural causes. Punta Cana is generally a very safe travel destination. The following species have been registered in the waters around Punta Cana: Cave dive sites: Resort town A resort town , resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy . A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in
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