The Dominican Republic¡¯s Ministry of Tourism and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) have joined forces to bolster cruise growth, as announced in an agreement signed earlier this month.
¡°With this partnership, the Dominican Republic became one of only five destinations to hold a presidential-level relationship with the FCCA and the first country to join this exclusive group in several years,¡± the FCCA said.
¡°This agreement marks a pivotal moment in the history of Dominican tourism and our cruise sector,¡± Collado said. ¡°Last year, we welcomed more than 2.6 million maritime passengers, and this alliance ensures that growth will accelerate in the years to come.¡±
Highlights of the agreement include, but are not limited to, ¡°direct engagement with senior cruise line executives to develop new itineraries, technical evaluation visits by cruise line executives to continuously enhance the passenger experience at Dominican ports and implementation of a national strategy to integrate Dominican talent into the cruise industry,¡± the FCCA said.
The agreement is designed to further grow the destination¡¯s strong cruise arrivals, which rose by 177% in the first seven months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2019, and by 29% in 2023 and 7.6% in 2024.
¡°For the 2025-26 winter season, operational agreements have also been formalized with major cruise lines from Norwegian Cruise Line in La Romana to Costa Cruises at Sansouci Port in Santo Domingo,¡± the FCCA and the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism said.
¡°MSC Cruises is scheduled to launch year-round homeport service from La Romana beginning in November 2026,¡± the two entities added.
¡°A national training program is also planned to prepare 1,250 strategic members within the cruise industry at ports in Santo Domingo, Pedernales, Saman¨¢, La Romana and Puerto Plata to improve service quality, visitor care and operational efficiency.¡±
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