The Historical Evolution of Punta Cana
Almost unheard of forty years ago, Punta Cana was a world away from the renowned beach destination it is today.
First Foreign Investments
A group of American investors bought 30 square miles (77 km2) of undeveloped Dominican land straddling 5 miles of the nation’s east coast in 1969. At the time, this land was no more than thick, forbidding jungle without any access roads; the only signs of human life were a few fishing villages along the coast. The investors saw the beaches with their white sand, coconut palms, crystal clear waters, and lush coral reefs.
Punta Cana History
| 1969: | Americans start to purchase land in Punta Cana |
| 1971: | First hotel built in Punta Cana |
| 1978: | Club Med builds its first large resort |
| 1984: | Commercial Airport is opened in Punta Cana |
The first hotel
The land was renamed from Punta Borrachon to Punta Cana by the investors, after the Punta Cana Club, a local hotel. The area began to attract attention globally, with famous guests and investors like Oscar de la Renta and Julio Iglesias visiting. In 1971, the first hotel with room for 40 guests and 10 cabins was built within Punta Cana itself, with access limited to a dirt airstrip for small planes. This marked the start of tourism in Punta Cana.
Club Med
By 1978, the French resort chain Club Med had built a 350-room Club Med Punta Cana. Toothpaste company Colgate connected the area by road, reducing travel time to half an hour from the nearest town. In 1982, the owners of the Punta Cana resort received permission to build a commercial airstrip, which opened in 1984.
Improvements of Infrastructure
Despite being somewhat remote, significant improvements to the road network were made in the following years. The new Coral highway opened in 2012, connecting Punta Cana to the rest of the island and reducing travel time to the town of Higuey to just 30 minutes.
The First New Airport
In 1982, the Dominican government gave permission to the owners of the Punta Cana Resort to build a real airport to accommodate larger planes. By 1984, the first real airport was operational, leading to a rapid growth in annual visitors over the years. Currently, there are over 60 resorts along 30 miles of beautiful beaches in Punta Cana.
The Economic Backbone of the country
The resorts in Punta Cana, along with associated businesses due to tourism, have become the backbone of the local economy. Today, approximately a quarter of the country’s GDP is generated in Punta Cana, a far cry from the investors’ initial expectations of the area’s importance to the country.
Some Historic events of Dominican Republic
| 1492: | Christopher Columbus lands on Hispaniola Island |
| 1496: | Santo Domingo becomes the first capital of the first Spanish colony in the Western hemisphere |
| 1515: | Gold supplies are depleted, Spaniards move on to Mexico |
| 1697: | The western part of the island is seized by the French |
| 1791: | The slaves in the French quarter revolt, and in1804 they declare independence from France |
| 1809: | Eastern part of the island returns to Spanish control |
| 1844: | This section names itself the Dominican Republic, and declares independence from Spain |
| 1930: | General Trujillo establishes a dictatorship |
| 1937: | Army massacres about 20,000 Haitians living near the border |
| 1961: | Trujillo is assassinated, followed by the first democratic election for a new president |
| 1966: | Trujillo’s protege remains in power for the next 5 re-elections. |
| 1979: | Two hurricanes leave 200 thousand people homeless |
