The Dominican Republic and New York are deepening their long-standing relationship through a new collaboration that brings together Dominican low-cost carrier Arajet and Spanish hospitality group Meliá Hotels International. Centered on the Santo Domingo–New York corridor and anchored by the INNSiDE by Meliá NoMad hotel in Manhattan, the alliance is designed to drive tourism, enhance travel connectivity, and strengthen cultural and economic ties between one of the Caribbean’s most dynamic destinations and one of the United States’ most influential gateway cities.
A Strategic Alliance Linking Sky and City
Meliá Hotels International and Arajet have formalized a strategic partnership aimed at boosting traffic between Santo Domingo and the New York metropolitan area, with a particular focus on travelers seeking seamless air and hotel experiences. The collaboration comes as Arajet rapidly scales up its operations in the United States, adding frequencies to Newark Liberty International Airport and preparing the launch of a third daily flight from Santo Domingo starting in spring 2026, while Meliá consolidates its urban portfolio with properties like INNSiDE by Meliá NoMad in Manhattan.
At the core of the agreement is a joint effort to increase passenger movement on the Santo Domingo–New York route. Arajet is positioning itself as a key connector for both the Dominican diaspora and American leisure travelers, while Meliá offers a New York base that appeals to urban, culturally driven visitors. Together, the brands present a combined value proposition that blends affordable point-to-point connectivity with a curated hospitality experience in one of the world’s most visited cities.
The alliance is also intended to strengthen Arajet’s and Meliá’s visibility among high-value travelers and travel trade stakeholders in both markets. By aligning air service, hotel product, and marketing efforts, the partners aim to create a recognizable corridor between New York and the Dominican Republic, encouraging more visitors to treat Santo Domingo not only as a sun-and-beach destination, but as an accessible, cosmopolitan capital that pairs naturally with a New York city break.
Tourism Growth and the Power of the U.S. Market
The collaboration is unfolding against a backdrop of record-breaking tourism figures for the Dominican Republic, particularly from the United States. In 2025, the country welcomed more than 3.7 million nonresident visitors from the U.S., accounting for over half of all international arrivals and confirming the United States as its dominant source market. The Northeastern United States, including New York and New Jersey, has emerged as a powerhouse contributor within that total, sending nearly two million travelers to Dominican shores.
New York alone has supplied close to a quarter of all U.S. visitors to the Dominican Republic, reflecting both the city’s role as a global aviation hub and its status as home to the largest Dominican community abroad. The connection is reinforced by a robust flow of nonresident Dominicans returning home for family visits, holidays, and cultural events, many of whom travel multiple times a year. These patterns have helped create a stable base of demand, even outside traditional peak seasons.
For policymakers and industry leaders, the surge in arrivals confirms that investments in connectivity, infrastructure, and promotion are paying off. Open skies agreements between the Dominican Republic and the United States have paved the way for greater competition and more routes, while targeted marketing in key U.S. cities has positioned the Dominican Republic as the most visited destination in the Caribbean for American travelers. In this context, the Meliá–Arajet partnership is less an isolated initiative than a logical next step in a long-term strategy to deepen ties with the U.S. market, and especially with New York.
Arajet’s Expanded Footprint in New York
Since launching operations in 2022, Arajet has rapidly grown into the Dominican Republic’s flagship low-fare carrier, building a network that now spans dozens of destinations across the Americas. New York has been a central pillar of that growth strategy. In June 2025, Arajet inaugurated daily non-stop flights between Santo Domingo and Newark Liberty International Airport, marking the first time in three decades that a Dominican airline operated the connection to the New York metropolitan area. The route quickly became one of the airline’s star performers, benefiting from consistently high load factors and strong demand from both leisure and diaspora travelers.
To respond to that demand, Arajet has added frequencies and now operates two daily flights from Santo Domingo to Newark, maintaining a morning departure that arrives in New Jersey in time for early connections and business meetings, and an evening service that accommodates after-work travel and late connections. Beginning in spring 2026, a third daily frequency is scheduled to come online, further consolidating the Santo Domingo–Newark bridge. Promotional fares starting in the mid-200 dollar range for roundtrip travel have reinforced Arajet’s value proposition as an affordable yet modern carrier with a young Boeing 737 MAX fleet.
The airline’s New York strategy goes beyond point-to-point traffic. Arajet operates a hub-and-spoke model centered on Santo Domingo, enabling passengers arriving from Newark to connect onward to more than 20 destinations in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. For New York-based travelers, this means a one-stop network reaching destinations such as Costa Rica, Colombia, Guatemala, and various island gateways, often at prices that are highly competitive with established carriers. For the Dominican Republic, it reinforces Santo Domingo’s vision of becoming a major regional hub that rivals other Latin American connection points.
Meliá’s Urban Anchor in Manhattan
While Arajet strengthens air connectivity, Meliá Hotels International provides the hospitality anchor that gives the alliance a tangible presence in New York City itself. The INNSiDE by Meliá NoMad hotel, located in Manhattan’s lively NoMad district, serves as a central hub for travelers flying in on Arajet’s Santo Domingo services. With its focus on contemporary design, urban lifestyle, and proximity to key attractions and business districts, the property is particularly suited to the “modern traveler” profile that both brands target.
The collaboration contemplates joint actions to highlight the INNSiDE by Meliá NoMad as the preferred lodging option for Arajet passengers visiting New York. This may include integrated marketing, curated packages combining flights and stays, and special experiences that celebrate Dominican and Spanish culture through gastronomy, design, and events. For Meliá, the partnership expands its reach into a growing Latin American customer base that increasingly sees New York as an aspirational yet accessible getaway, thanks in part to low-cost air service.
At the same time, INNSiDE by Meliá NoMad serves as a showcase for Dominican tourism within New York. Visiting media, influencers, and travel trade representatives invited through the alliance can experience the hotel as a bridge between cultures, with programming and storytelling that point guests toward the Dominican Republic’s beaches, colonial cities, and ecotourism experiences. The concept is to turn a New York stay into both a destination in its own right and a prelude to further exploration in the Caribbean.
New York Fashion Week and High-Profile Activations
To give visibility to the partnership and position the Dominican Republic as a trend-forward destination, Arajet and Meliá are leveraging marquee events in New York’s cultural calendar. During February’s New York Fashion Week, the brands are planning special activations that will bring personalities, media representatives, and opinion leaders from the Dominican Republic and other markets to the city on Arajet flights, with accommodations at INNSiDE by Meliá NoMad. The objective is to showcase an integrated journey that links stylish, design-led hospitality with streamlined, affordable air travel.
These initiatives build on activations already carried out in 2025, when the partners worked with influencers and industry leaders to highlight the Santo Domingo–New York connection and the broader appeal of the Dominican Republic as a lifestyle destination. Looking ahead into 2026, the collaboration is expected to expand with experiences that weave Dominican and Spanish culinary traditions, music, and culture into events and campaigns staged in both New York and Santo Domingo.
By aligning with New York Fashion Week and similar high-visibility events, Arajet and Meliá aim to move beyond traditional beach-centric imagery and position the Dominican Republic as a destination that resonates with creative, cosmopolitan travelers. This approach complements the country’s push to diversify its tourism offer, drawing attention to Santo Domingo’s historic Colonial Zone, its growing restaurant scene, and its emerging status as a regional cultural capital.
Support for the Dominican Diaspora and Family Travel
Any effort to deepen ties between the Dominican Republic and New York must reckon with the central role played by the Dominican diaspora, which numbers more than two million people across the United States and is heavily concentrated in the New York and New Jersey area. For this community, travel is not only about vacations; it is about maintaining family bonds, honoring traditions, and participating in the social life of both their home country and their adopted city. Affordable and reliable air links are therefore crucial, particularly around key periods such as Christmas, summer holidays, and major cultural festivities.
Recognizing this, the Dominican Ministry of Tourism and Arajet have framed the airline’s New York expansion as a response to sustained demand from the diaspora. Officials have emphasized that increased frequencies and a third daily flight will help guarantee competitive prices and seat availability during peak travel windows, making it easier for families to reunite without putting undue strain on their budgets. Arajet’s low-fare model, which allows travelers to tailor their experience with optional add-ons such as checked bags or extra legroom, has resonated with price-sensitive passengers who still seek dependable service.
The Meliá partnership further reinforces this focus on community and family. While many diaspora travelers stay with relatives in the Dominican Republic, others look for hotel options that can accommodate multi-generational groups or short leisure breaks in Santo Domingo or resort areas. By building brand awareness among New York-based Dominicans through the INNSiDE by Meliá NoMad and joint campaigns, Meliá aims to position its properties in the Dominican Republic as trusted choices for return visits, celebrations, and family getaways that complement the practical purpose of the trip.
Economic Impact and the Hub Ambition
The growing air and hospitality link between the Dominican Republic and New York carries significant economic implications. Increased flight frequencies translate into more inbound visitors, higher spending, and greater support for jobs across the tourism value chain, from airport services and ground transportation to hotels, restaurants, and tour operators. At the same time, outbound travel from the Dominican Republic to New York nurtures business relationships, cultural exchange, and educational opportunities that feed back into bilateral trade and investment.
Arajet’s hub ambitions play a central role in this equation. By turning Santo Domingo into a connecting platform for passengers traveling between North and South America, the airline is effectively leveraging the strong New York–Dominican Republic corridor to build broader regional flows. Passengers from Newark can use Santo Domingo as a springboard to destinations that may not be served directly from New York, while travelers from other parts of the Americas gain more ways to access the U.S. market through the same hub. This creates a multiplier effect that extends the impact of each new frequency beyond the local origin and destination pair.
Meanwhile, Meliá’s presence in both the Dominican Republic and major U.S. and European cities allows it to support these flows with a consistent hospitality offer. As travelers become familiar with the brand in New York, they are more likely to consider its resorts and hotels in Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, and other Dominican destinations, creating cross-selling opportunities that benefit the wider national tourism sector. The partnership with Arajet is thus more than a marketing alliance; it is an operational link that underpins the Dominican Republic’s broader strategy to position itself as a central hub in the hemisphere’s travel map.
Looking Ahead: Consolidating a Transatlantic, Binational Bridge
As 2026 unfolds, the collaboration between Arajet and Meliá Hotels International is poised to deepen, supported by strong fundamentals in both air traffic and hotel demand. With a third daily flight between Santo Domingo and Newark in the pipeline and continued record arrivals from the U.S. market, the conditions are favorable for further joint ventures, including bundled products, loyalty collaborations, and coordinated promotions with tour operators on both sides of the corridor.
The alliance mirrors the evolving identity of the Dominican Republic’s tourism industry itself. No longer solely defined by its beach resorts, the country is emerging as a multidimensional destination that combines sun and sand with urban culture, history, gastronomy, and regional connectivity. New York, as both a source market and a symbolic global stage, is the natural platform from which to project that new narrative, and partnerships that integrate airlines and hotels are a powerful way to make it tangible for travelers.
For New Yorkers and the wider tri-state area, the growing number of options to reach Santo Domingo brings the Caribbean closer than ever, whether for a long weekend, an extended holiday, or a long-awaited family reunion. For Dominicans, it reinforces a transnational lifestyle in which home is shared between city blocks in upper Manhattan and neighborhoods in Santo Domingo or Santiago. In that sense, the strengthened ties between the Dominican Republic, New York, Arajet, and Meliá Hotels are not only about seats and rooms; they are about sustaining a living bridge between two places that, for many, already feel like one.