One Trip, Two Islands: Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico Team Up on 'Together We Are the Caribbean'

The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico want you to stop choosing between them. Their tourism bodies — the Dominican Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) and Discover Puerto Rico — have rolled out a joint campaign called "Together We Are the Caribbean," built around the idea of a single holiday that takes in both islands.

The pitch is aimed squarely at international travel agencies and tour operators, who are being urged to sell the two destinations as a pair rather than rivals. Beaches, culture, food and adventure are the headline selling points, with the campaign leaning on the islands' shared history and culture to make the combined itinerary feel natural rather than bolted together.

The practical case is strong. The islands sit close enough that flying between them takes roughly an hour, and several US carriers already run the routes. Arajet, JetBlue and Frontier connect San Juan with Santo Domingo and Punta Cana, while JetBlue also flies into Santiago in the Dominican interior. That frequency matters: it means a two-centre trip doesn't hinge on one awkward weekly flight.

For travellers, this could change how Caribbean holidays get packaged. Instead of a single-island all-inclusive week, you might spend a few days on Puerto Rico — with old San Juan's forts, the rainforest of El Yunque and a more road-trip-friendly layout — then hop over for the Dominican Republic's resort strips, Dominican Highlands cities or quieter peninsulas. The campaign is a sign both destinations want operators to build exactly those combinations, so expect more two-country Caribbean itineraries in brochures and booking sites over the coming seasons.

It's also a pragmatic move by both sides. Multi-destination trips tend to attract higher-spending visitors who might otherwise skip one island entirely, and pooling marketing budgets gives both destinations more reach in key markets like the United States and Europe. For anyone who has agonised over whether to book Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic, the answer from the tourism boards is now officially: both.