Puerto Plata & Cabarete

A stretch of surf beaches and steady wind on the Dominican Republic's north coast, Puerto Plata and Cabarete have been favorites of windsurfers and kiters since the 1980s, staying cheap while Punta Cana boomed. The beach bars fill every evening, and the waterfalls at Damajagua are half an hour into the hills. Now the government is backing a new resort development on this coast.

Punta Bergantin, the government-backed coastal development between Playa Dorada and Sosua, is a phased tourism project, and the Dominican presidency has announced the start of construction of Melia Bergantin Beach.

The country reported 11,676,901 visitors in 2025 across air and cruise categories, a national total rather than a count of Puerto Plata visitors. The local picture is softer: Puerto Plata's airport handled about 818,000 passengers in 2025, down 7.0 percent year on year, according to VINCI Airports. National growth should not be read as growth in every destination.

Qualifying investments in CONFOTUR-approved tourism projects can receive incentives under Law 158-01, as amended. Law 195-13 sets a 15-year exemption period from completion of construction and equipment. The benefit available to a particular buyer or rental activity depends on approval and eligibility; it is not an automatic exemption for every condominium or later resale.