History of Punta Cana. Learn All About It

Many times we wonder why a place is the way it is. Why it has certain customs and unique traditions that can’t be found elsewhere. Almost always, we’ll find the answers if we dive into its history, where we’ll see what events occurred in the past that helped build the place that we know today.

Punta Cana has a very interesting history that tells us how, in just a few years, it went from being a practically unknown place to being one of the most desired spots to visit on the planet for an enjoyable holiday.

Will you join us on this journey through the history of Punta Cana?

History of Punta Cana: discovery and first hotel

Until after the mid-twentieth century, the Punta Cana area, located on the east side of the Dominican Republic, was formed by a large mass of plants in the shape of a jungle. Although it had heavenly beaches, hardly anyone enjoyed them since access was very difficult and the area was practically unknown to the inhabitants of the country. Even more so for those who lived outside the Dominican Republic.

However, at the end of 1969, the history of Punta Cana began to take a major turn. It was at this point in time when a group of North American investors saw the tourist potential in this area and acquired a large amount of land in order to start building hotel infrastructures. This is how the first hotel in Punta Cana was built, which was inaugurated in 1971 in just two years. This marked the beginning of Punta Cana’s awakening.

The first tourists arrived at the hotel and it began operating successfully. At this time, the investment group began to see various challenges in the area, as a result of the difficulties they were experiencing on a daily basis.

First, Punta Cana had a clear lack of supplies. As an underdeveloped area until the construction of the first hotel, basic services such as electricity or water did not reach here. This was accompanied by other problems such as the garbage collection service or the sewers.

However, one of the biggest difficulties was access to the hotel. Since there were no roads or well-kept paths, the amount of time it took to get to this area from places like the Santo Domingo airport seemed like forever and made it lose some of its tourist appeal.

Little by little tourists kept arriving. Everyone who came to Punta Cana was amazed by the beauty of its beaches. Word of mouth was making Punta Cana increasingly better known in the world of tourism.

History of Punta Cana: tourist destination

As the destination of Punta Cana became more and more important, other groups of investors were encouraged to settle in the area when they saw that it was a diamond in the rough. Thus, in 1981, a second hotel was opened. And it was precisely in this year that the first motorway that connected Punta Cana with the rest of the Dominican Republic’s motorway network was also inaugurated.

The creation of this new road meant it was much easier and more comfortable for tourists to get here, but it still took many hours by road from the nearest airport.

At this point, businessmen who had already acquired land in Punta Cana, and who had more or less begun to make progress in their hotel projects, began to pressure the Dominican government until they managed to get the Punta Cana International Airport built, inaugurated in 1984.

Now, Punta Cana was open to the world thanks to its direct flights to airports all over the world.

History of Punta Cana: present

Today nobody calls into question that Punta Cana is one of the top destinations internationally and one of people’s favourites in the Caribbean. It currently has hotels from the best hotel chains and has become a benchmark for all-inclusive packages. The problems derived from a lack of supplies due to its remoteness are now a thing of the past. Punta Cana is currently one of the economic engines of the country, which employs a large part of the population. Thus, Punta Cana has become a very important part of the Dominican Republic’s history.

In 2019, more than two million tourists arrived in Punta Cana, mainly from countries such as the United States, Canada, France, Germany and Spain. The important thing is that they all have one thing in common: the desire to enjoy this little slice of paradise on earth, whether as a family, as a couple or with friends. Because if there is one thing that defines Punta Cana, it’s that it is to be enjoyed by everyone alike.

History of Punta Cana: and what about the name?

The name of Punta Cana began to be commonly used to designate the area in which there is a cape, that is, a point of land that juts out into the sea, more than 50 km long and full of beautiful white sandy beaches, among which Playa Bávaro stands out.

As you can see, knowing the history of Punta Cana will help you to understand why it’s such a special place. We invite you to learn more about Punta Cana and the Dominican Republic, such as the history of its flag.