New cruise port coming soon to popular Caribbean destination
One Caribbean country is investing heavily into new cruise port infrastructure to boost tourism in remote areas.
Cruise passengers who want to visit more unique ports in the Caribbean will soon have a new opportunity to explore a lesser-visited part of one popular cruise destination.
Sought after for its beautiful beaches and tropical atmosphere, the Caribbean is by far the most popular region for cruising.
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From The Bahamas not far off the coast of Florida to destinations deep in the southern Caribbean like St. Lucia, Grenada, and the ABC islands, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, cruise passengers can have their pick of picturesque Caribbean islands to visit on a cruise ship.
Not every Caribbean island has a cruise port, however. And some larger Caribbean islands even have untouched stretches of coastline that haven’t yet been explored by cruise passengers.
But as cruise tourism continues to boom, some Caribbean destinations are eager to win greater shares of cruise calls, investing in new port infrastructure to attract more cruise ships to their tropical shores. In some places, that means building new ports in remote areas that cruise ships haven’t been able to visit before.
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The Dominican Republic is investing in a new cruise port
One of the largest and most geographically diverse countries in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic is already home to several cruise ports that have experienced strong growth in recent years.
The country’s cruise passenger arrivals more than doubled from 2023 to 2024, from more than 1.5 million in 2023 to more than 2.6 million in 2024. On the northern side of the country, Puerto Plata received more than 80% of the 2.6 million cruise passengers who visited the Dominican Republic last year.
In an effort to keep the momentum going and promote tourism growth in the lesser-visited southern part of the country, the Dominican Republic is investing in a new cruise port in Barahona on the country’s southwest coast.
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The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Tourism recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Barahona cruise terminal, a project that’s expected to boost the local economy as it ushers in a transformation of the region.
Along with a modern cruise ship dock, the project will include 35 commercial spaces as well as sites for restaurants, bars, and a rum-making experience, according to local media reports.
Far from the Dominican Republic’s primary tourist destinations like Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, and Santo Domingo, Barahona is known for its wild beauty and biodiverse parks and reserves, which will offer unique ecotourism opportunities for cruise passengers. Nicknamed “Pearl of the South,” Barahona is also renowned for its breathtaking coastal scenery and the high-quality coffee grown on its mountainside farms.
New Barahona cruise port follows new development in Cabo Rojo
The Barahona cruise port is expected to be completed by 2026, in time for the peak winter cruise season. The new cruise port on the Dominican Republic’s remote southern coast will complement the recently built Cabo Rojo cruise port in Pedernales, the country's southernmost province.
Cabo Rojo welcomed its first cruise ships in 2024, introducing Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Holland America Line passengers to the secluded destination treasured for its pristine, white-sand beaches, turquoise waters, and some of the Caribbean Sea’s best-preserved coral reefs.
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Both Norwegian and Royal Caribbean are increasing calls to Cabo Rojo in 2025 and 2026. Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, and MSC Cruises have scheduled calls to the up-and-coming destination as well. Cabo Rojo expects to welcome more than 100,000 cruise passengers in 2025, as reported by Dominican Today.
The Dominican Republic also has a project in the works to redevelop the Arroyo Barril port in Samaná on the country’s lush northeastern coast to accommodate large cruise ships at its dock. Samaná currently receives cruise ships but is a tender port, meaning cruise ships anchor offshore and shuttle passengers to the port via tender boats. A new modernized cruise terminal will make way for an increase in cruise calls to the destination.
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