Santo Domingo – During a recent official ceremony marking the launch of a new Italian-language training scholarship program for Dominican tourist police, Italian Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Sergio Maffettone laid out ambitious plans to deepen cross-border ties between the two nations, centered on the upcoming launch of ITA Airways’ non-stop Rome to Santo Domingo air route scheduled for November 30, 2026.
The new direct service is designed to supplement existing air links that currently connect Italian passengers to popular Dominican leisure hubs including Punta Cana and La Romana, alongside existing routes operating out of Milan, to create a more robust, interconnected travel network for both leisure and business travelers. Maffettone noted that roughly 100,000 Italian tourists already visit the Caribbean nation annually, a figure he projects will rise steadily with the addition of the new direct route, paired with targeted Dominican tourism promotional campaigns set to air on major Italian television networks to raise the destination’s profile across the broader European travel market.
Beyond tourism gains, the ambassador emphasized rapidly expanding commercial exchange between the two countries, pointing to recent high-level business engagements in Rome that included delegations from leading Dominican corporate entities such as the Puntacana Group and Inicia Group, as a sign of growing bilateral investment and partnership momentum.
The ambassador’s remarks were delivered at an event announcing a new scholarship initiative backed by Casa de Italia that will fund specialized Italian language training for 20 officers from the Dominican Republic’s Tourist Police (Politur) force. These officers are deployed across high-traffic visitor zones including the historic Colonial City, Boca Chica, Juan Dolio, Bayahibe, and La Romana, and their new Italian language proficiency will allow them to deliver more tailored, accessible support for the growing volume of Italian-speaking travelers visiting the country. This story is tracked and updated by DominicanScope.