Punta Cana Just Cleared 6 Million Visitors. Here Is What That Does to Your Rental Yield.

Tourism numbers are not abstractions when you own rental property. They are the underlying engine of every dollar your unit produces while you are home in Toronto, New York, Montreal, or Miami.

Here is where Punta Cana stands as we move through 2026. The Dominican Republic welcomed a record 11.6 million visitors in 2025 — an all-time high. Punta Cana International Airport, the country's busiest gateway, is projected to handle more than 6 million arrivals this year alone. That is up from roughly 5 million as recently as 2024. The growth curve has been remarkably consistent.

What that translates to in real-world rental performance

Independent market analysts tracking the Bávaro short-term rental segment have published transparent performance data for the 2024–2026 period. A representative example: a well-positioned 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom oceanfront condo in Bávaro is producing net cash-on-cash yields in the double digits — substantially ahead of comparable rental products in Miami Beach (typically in the 5 to 6 percent range), Florida condo investments more broadly (4 to 5 percent), and other Caribbean markets such as Turks and Caicos (5 to 7 percent) or the Bahamas (4 to 6 percent).

Those are net yields — after operating expenses, management fees, and local tax obligations are accounted for. Gross yields are higher.

What is driving the gap

1. Lower entry price. A 2BR oceanfront condo in Bávaro still trades at a meaningful discount to comparable Florida or Caribbean alternatives.
2. Year-round demand. Punta Cana does not have a six-month off-season the way many domestic vacation markets do. The high season runs roughly nine months; the soft months still post strong occupancy.
3. USD-priced rentals. Vacation rentals are quoted and collected in USD, which insulates yield from local currency movement.
4. CONFOTUR tax relief. Approved developments are exempt from the 3% transfer tax and the 1% annual property tax (IPI) for up to 15 years — which falls straight to the bottom line.
5. No cap on STR licensing. Punta Cana remains one of the most short-term-rental-friendly markets in the Caribbean. There are no city-wide caps, no licensing lotteries, no anti-Airbnb regulation in force.

The competitive picture

Short-term rental supply has expanded — there are now roughly 5,000 or more active Airbnb listings across the broader Punta Cana market. That means hosts cannot coast. Location, finish quality, and management discipline determine whether a unit captures the top quartile of yield or the bottom.

But the demand growth is also outpacing supply growth in the well-located segments. A new condo on Bávaro Beach with a professional rental management partner is meaningfully different from a midrange unit ten minutes inland with no operator behind it.

The takeaway for North American investors

The thesis for Punta Cana right now is not a hope-and-pray growth story. It is a documented arbitrage between a high-demand resort market and surrounding asset prices that have not yet caught up to comparable Sunbelt and Caribbean alternatives.

As tourism arrivals keep climbing, that gap is closing — and the buyers closing it are the ones reading the data instead of waiting for it to make the front page.

We are happy to walk you through the specific unit-level economics on any project we represent. The math is real, and we will show you our work.

Disclosure: This blog is general market commentary, not legal, tax, or investment advice. CONFOTUR exemptions apply only to projects approved under Dominican Law 158-01 and only to the first buyer from the developer. Rental income figures referenced are general market estimates — not guarantees by RE/MAX Paradise. Always verify current pricing, availability, and approval status with your RE/MAX Paradise broker before any purchase decision. RE/MAX Paradise is not a tax or legal advisor; consult a licensed Dominican attorney and tax advisor for personalized guidance.