President Luis Abinader reaffirmed on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, when speaking in Punta Cana the Dominican Republic’s growing leadership in the Caribbean, positioning itself as a key logistics, aviation, and industrial center with the inauguration of the Punta Cana Free Trade Zone (PCFTZ).
Owned by Grupo Puntacana, the Punta Cana Free Trade Zone is designed as a center for advanced manufacturing, aeronautical services, and international distribution. According to Frank Elías Rainieri, president and CEO of Grupo Puntacana, the project diversifies the country’s production base and strengthens its integration into global value chains.
The facility includes specialized areas such as an Air Cargo Hub, a Jet Fuel Terminal, an Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) area, an Industrial Zone, and an Administrative Building.
The new complex is the first integrated air, sea, and land logistics hub in the region. It is expected to generate more than 9,000 direct and indirect jobs while boosting the country’s competitiveness and global visibility. It is located adjacent to the Punta Cana International Airport, the best-connected airport in Central America and the Caribbean.
President Abinader emphasized that with this new facilitym alongside ongoing port investments such as the Manzanillo project in the Northwest, where another logistics area is under development, and the advances of Santo Domingo-based ports, the Dominican Republic is now the most important logistics hub in the Caribbean.
“This means more opportunities and sustainable development for all Dominicans,” the President stated, underscoring the success of free trade zones across the country that continue to attract a growing number of international companies.
A new model for development
Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs Víctor “Ito” Bisonó described the Punta Cana Free Trade Zone as a new model of productive and competitive development made possible by government-led initiatives, laws, and regulations.
“Every square meter of this project represents the future—a nation that leverages its privileged geographic location, political and social stability, and, above all, the talent of its people to become a benchmark in the region and beyond,” Bisonó said.
He also pointed to the Dominican Republic’s reliable and attractive economic environment for investors, citing a recent report from the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University, which ranked the country as the most stable and investment-friendly in the region.
Also speaking at the inauguration, Eduardo Sanz Lovatón, director general of the Customs Agency, highlighted that the new development further consolidates the Dominican Republic’s position as a powerful logistics center. “With this new facility, the country reaffirms its regional leadership—cargo doesn’t just pass through here; it is transformed, creates value, and is re-exported to the world by air, sea, and land,” Sanz Lovatón said.
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Presidency
Listin Diario
13 November 2025