Work begins on $98m Cabo Rojo cruise port in Dominican Republic

The four-berth port will have capacity for up to 1m passengers annually when fully operational. Its first phase is planned for inauguration in December 2023.

Managed by APORDOM and ITM Group

The $98m project will be managed by the Dominican Port Authority (APORDOM) and Mexico's ITM Group, whose other cruise ports include Costa Maya in the Yucatán and, in the Dominican Republic, Taino Bay at Puerto Plata.

Cabo Rojo port will offer aquatic, cultural, artistic, commercial and gastronomic attractions and tourist services that give passengers a sample of the activities available in the port's surroundings, according to APORDOM Executive Director Jean Luis Rodríguez.

Water park, spa, dining, hotel, beach

Facilities will include a passenger reception center, water park, interactive zone, recreational and commercial zones, spa, main restaurant, boutique hotel and beach.

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader was on hand for the start of this project that is part of a master plan to develop the Pedernales border province near Haiti. It is expected to generate more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs and to boost the economy of the country's southern region.

The port is funded by a private investment via a loan from the Reserve Bank of the Dominican Republic, a commercial bank.

'Cruise hub of the Caribbean'

'Pedernales will be the most important cruise destination in the Caribbean,' Abinader said with a healthy dose of optimism. He called it a paradise with sun, beaches, nature and people 'ready to conquer the world.' With Cabo Rojo, he said, 'We are on the right path to convert the Dominican Republic into the cruise hub of the Caribbean.' 

Besides Taino Bay, cruise ships call at Carnival Corp. & plc's Amber Cove near Puerto Plata, Isla Catalina, La Romana, Punta Cana, Samaná and, on the south-central coast, the capital of Santo Domingo.  

CEO Mauricio Hamui said ITM Group is committed to work with the cruise lines to bring 1m passengers a year 'to this great destination, which will generate regional dynamism and an economic spillover that will reach between $120 million and $150 million. ITM will invest in Pedernales and surrounding areas to publicize its socially responsible and sustainable projects that contribute to caring for the environment,' he added.