Tourism and Media: Dominican Republic Destination Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Dominican Republic as a tourist destination, drawing upon a student's travel blog and assignment. The report begins with a promotion of the Dominican Republic, highlighting its diverse attractions, including beaches, resorts, and adventure sports locations such as Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, and Samana Bay. It then details the student's personal travel experiences, including a three-week solo trip across various destinations. The report reflects on the student's expectations versus the actual experience, noting both positive aspects and areas where expectations were not met, such as whale sightings and the cost of accommodation in Santo Domingo. Finally, the report aligns with the assignment brief by assessing the destination's promotion through the student's blog, providing a detailed comparison of pre-trip media representations with on-trip observations and offering valuable insights into the realities of traveling in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic

Table of Contents
Promotion of Destination.................................................................................................................3
Reflection.........................................................................................................................................3
Comparison of Expectation and Experience....................................................................................3

Promotion of Destination
The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation which have an island of Hispaniola and Haiti
to the west. This is a great place for tourist destinations as there are a number of beaches, resorts
and golfing places available in it. It also comprises of a number of rainforests, Savannah,
Highlands and some tallest mountains in Caribbean. The major tourist destination of Dominican
republic are Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Santo Island and Puerto Plata. Tourism in Dominican
Republic is an important sector for the economy of country. There are more than 6 million tourist
who visit this country making it a popular tourist destination in the Caribbean and also placing it
in the top five overall destinations throughout America. There are a number of housing
complexes through agreements and foreign advisers for the country. There are a number of
different locations for tourism in Dominican Republic. There a postcard perfect beaches, number
of luxury resorts as the less solid infrastructure for tourism which draws a number of tourists to
Dominican Republic. Did have a geography of the country have a lush forest and mountains
including some Sammy desert area with provide a number of unique opportunities to all the
tourist who want simple vacation. There are a number of beaches present in Punta Cana, Puerto
Plata and La Romana which have a number of tourists visiting them every year. They are
exclusively designed for relaxation of travelers. A number of independent travelers who want to
escape from the reality of life and had towards remote area in a country can go to Samana
Peninsula. The interior of mountains provide tourist with less focused towns and cities. There
are also a number of options available for those who are interested in adventure sports. They
provide kite borders and surfers with a lifetime opportunity to get to do the best adventure sports
in world. Some or the major tourist’s location of Dominican Republic are mentioned below:
Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial
This is that city where Christopher Columbus first came to in America. The buildings are
century’s old but the life of people is that of modern day. The architecture of museums, shops,
restaurants and hotels is a major attraction. This is a place worth spending time in. It provides
with a number of lifetime experiences to the tourists.

Figure 1
The Resort of Punta Cana
This depicts long white sand beaches which meets the waves of emerald water of Caribbean.
This place provides with a number of luxury resorts if the tourists is looking for spending heaps
in for travel. One can walk for hours in its beautiful beaches. There are parasailers, tour boats
which make traffic in the sea. There are also a number of restaurants which provides with the
modern-day standards of Dominican Republic.

Figure 2
Las Galeras
This provides an off the road experience to independent travellers. There are sand beaches
present here which provide travellers with a lifetime experience. There are only a few restaurants
presents here. The beaches are the major attractions. The prices of these restaurants are also very
affordable and they offer a number of cuisines. Although it is a small township but the
infrastructure is well developed to provide comfort to tourists.

Figure 3
Kite boarding on Cabarete’s Kite Beach
After the head land of the main beach there is a 20 minute walk in the front of kite beach. There
are a number of small areas which have their own unique vibe none other place provide such
vibes. The Beach is usually quiet in the morning only some workers and runners can be seen.
While in afternoon when the wind blows there are a number of kite borders to go towards the
beach and the sky near the beach can be seen filled with kites. There are also some competitions
taking place here in February which is the best time to visit this place. There are a number or
schools present which offer courses for this Kite boarding as well.

Figure 4
Whale watching in Samana Bey
Between the time of December to March there are a number of humpback whales who come to
this be mate and give birth to small baby whales. The Samana Peninsula is the major point for
departure of this whale watching trips. There are a number of travellers who visit this tourist
attraction just to watch the sales. A number of companies offers trips to various destinations
throughout the island where the scales can be seen. There are 12-hour trips which also involves a
shuttle bus, a boat and a short flight to visit and watch these whales.

Figure 5
Las Terrenas
This is a busy city in the north coast of the country which provide beachfront area where single
lane dirt roads have a number of cafeteria lined up on sides. They also provide palm, marines and
beaches. People can also take motor bike felt rights. This is the best place to go if one wants to
see the conveniences of a city along with a beach destination. There are a number of French
people who have made their home at this place and they set up a number of inns and restaurant
at this place.

Figure 6
Jarabacoa
A number of travellers consider this place as a summer retreat destination as this provides an
outdoor adventure playground in mountains of the country. There are a number of opportunities
like rafting, hiking, biking and many other activities for exploration present at this place. This is
elevated over 500 m and the climate in this place is milder than that of the coast at night are often
very cool. This is the best place to spend a week in the country. This is also a good place to
spends some good tome for couples.

Figure 7
La Romana
This is a lesser-known resort destination of the area. There are a number of large resorts present
which are looking for independent traveller who are ready to self-cater themselves. There are a
number of teachers present which are the major attraction of this place. There are a number of
shops for crafters and artist of village. Organised shopping trips are made at this place if people
do not have their own transportation. Golfing is also a popular activity practised in this area.

Figure 8
Reflection
I took a trip to Dominican Republic last month. My trip was for 3 weeks. I visited a number of
amazing tourist attractions there. It was a solo trip. I travelled alone to all these places. The
experiences of this journey were fun and will travel with me throughout. I am into adventure
sports so there were a number of options for me in this trip. I started my trip from Santo
Domingo. The architecture of the place is amazing. I enjoyed visiting museums, local restaurants
and enjoying the view. The inn in which I stayed there had old monarchical infrastructure. I
stayed there for two nights. After this I went to Jarabacoa in order to retreat my summer and visit
mountains. I got a number of opportunities for rafting and hiking there. It is the best place to
indulge with nature. I spent three days enjoying my adventure trip in Jarabacoa. I continued my
trip and went to kite boarding at kite beach. It was a lifetime experience. I spent one week there.
This was the largest stay in this trip of mine. I also took lessons on kite boarding from one of the
institutes present there. It took me five days to learn proper kite boarding and then two days I
enjoyed quite border in the open beaches. My last destination was Samana Bay where I went for

whale watching. I spent two days there which were another best day of my trip. This trip was
adventurous and also brought me near nature throughout.
Comparison of Expectation and Experience
The trip was not much different from what I expected it to be. However, there were various
points where my expectations were not met. I expected to see more whales while I went to
Savana bay however, there were not many whales visible during the two days I spent there. Also,
the Santo Domingo was an expensive place. I went slightly overbudget while my stay there. The
inn I stayed in was really expensive and the infrastructure there costs a lot to my pocket. Other
than this is also expected some more adventure sports like paragliding, parasailing and bungee
jumping but due to whether I could not do that. I also think that if I had few more days, I could
have enjoyed my trip a little more. Due to the limited time I had with me and a tight travel
schedule I missed on some of major tourist attractions. Other than some of this points my trip
was amazing. I would love to visit to Dominican Republic once more and visit all the left-over
places which I could not visit this time. It is an amazing place for solo travelling as well as for
those who have love for nature.