In 1969, a group of American investors acquired a 58-million square meter lot equivalent to 48 square kilometers of pure jungle on the east coast of the Dominican Republic. Being almost rectangular in shape, this roadless lot contained approximately 10 seashore kilometers with numerous exotic white-sand beaches and thousands of coconut trees.
Joining them some time afterwards was a group of local investors headed by entrepreneur Frank R. Rainieri who had the vision to make use of the lot for tourism development. Climate in the area fluctuates between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit all year round with less than 800 millimeters of annual rainfall. In 1968, UNESCO declared these beaches as truly exceptional and globally unique for their fine white sand, crystalline waters and coral reefs.
Managed by Dominican Frank R. Rainieri and American Theodore W. Kheel, the Compañía de Desarrollo Turístico Residencial e Industrial S.A. (CODDETREISA), known today as GRUPO Puntacana S.A., began development of the lot in 1971 with the launching of a small hotel known as the Punta Cana Club. It had 10 two-room villas, a Clubhouse, a small town for employees, a power plant, and a basic aircraft runway. At full capacity this hotel could accommodate 40 guests. It demonstrated that the property had great potential and in 1978 Club Mediterrané of Paris France started the construction of the first 350-room hotel.
On the same year, the Dominican Government started the construction of the first access road to connect Punta Cana with the country's road network, discovering the inconvenience of having to travel four hours to arrive to the nearest airport located in Santo Domingo. This enabled the construction of the Punta Cana International Airport. After an eight-year battle with three different governments, authorization was finally obtained for the construction of the first private international airport in the country. Construction started in 1982 and was finished in 1984 with the first international flight coming from San Juan Puerto Rico in a twin turbo propeller aircraft.
Due to its isolated location and lack of public facilities from the Dominican Government, GRUPO Puntacana S.A. took upon itself the responsibility to solve and maintain all facilities required for proper operation. Access roads, security, waterworks, electricity, garbage disposal, waste disposal and schools are all operable through projects and subsidiary corporations of GRUPO Puntacana. Since 1997 the owners of GRUPO Puntacana are Theodore W. Kheel, Frank R. Rainieri, Julio Iglesias and Oscar de la Renta. The following corporations belong to the Group:
- GRUPO Puntacana S.A.
- PUNTA CANA BEACH AND GOLF S.A.
- CORPORACIÓN AEROPORTUARIA DEL ESTES.A.
- PUNTA CANA YACHT CLUB S.A.
- CORPORACIÓN TURÍSTICA Y DE SERVICIOS Puntacana S.A.
- GUARDIANES DEL ESTE S.A.
They have been grouped strategically under the trade name
Puntacana RESORT & CLUB
Acknowledgements
Among others; two recent acknowledgements should be highlighted:
1: Johannesburg Africa: selected in 2001 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development as a model of sustainable tourism.
2: Selected in 2002 in the Dominican Republic by a survey of the prestigious local magazine MERCADO as the most admired tourism corporation in the country.
