“Our Dominicana” lets travelers experience the destination like a local 

January 25, 2023

For many years, the Dominican Republic has been well-known for its stunning beaches and all-inclusive resorts, mainly in the Punta Cana area. However, the destination has so much to offer throughout the entire country which is not as well-known. To help travelers better understand the culture, cuisine, and adventure that the destination offers, The Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism worked with our in-house creative agency on an innovative campaign showcasing the local experience. 

Working together to rebuild in 2021

In 2021, we began working with the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism to rebuild and drive recovery. We developed a custom, interactive media experience featuring a video that allows viewers to see the country’s natural beauty, outdoor activities, and historical and cultural attractions. For a shoppable experience, travelers can pause and click throughout to explore specific areas and activities of interest. 

For further information, the microsite includes specific itineraries with recommendations based on traveler profiles, such as exploring the great outdoors, adventurous families, or cultural explorers. To supplement the campaign, the destination leveraged a Travel Spotlight, showcasing stunning imagery and unique experiences.  

Launching “Our Dominicana” to show the heart and soul of the country

To build on the success of the initial campaign and dive deeper into the culture of the country, the destination worked with us to launch the “Our Dominicana” campaign. The microsite includes a series of three video episodes that take travelers beyond the well-known beaches of the Dominican Republic to immerse them in the community, cuisine, and rich culture the country has to offer.  

The videos explore three lesser-known destinations in the country, Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, and Samaná from the local perspective. Each video includes interviews with locals in the area, as they share their favorite and things about the destination and the best spots to visit. This unique perspective allows travelers to fully immerse themselves in all the country has to offer, from diving amongst the coral to experiencing indigenous cooking using ancient techniques.    

To encourage bookings on the spot, travelers can easily start planning their vacation through the dedicated microsite with select hotel offers in the featured locales.  

Showcasing sustainable practices and accommodations 

In addition to focusing on the culture, cuisine, and adventure, the “Our Dominicana” videos weave in the country’s local conservation and sustainability efforts to ensure limited impact from tourism. In the episode exploring Samaná, Oceanographer, Aurelio, speaks about his work with conservation. To support the regeneration of the coral reef, he uses a coral farm to grow new life to add to Samaná ‘s coral reef. 

Later in the Samaná episode, founder of Unique Exotic Hotel, Tomas, discusses his work to blend his resort with the rainforest by building around the existing nature. He also brings in a team from the local community to further promote the local economy.  

With 90% of consumers looking for sustainable options while traveling, these videos connect with travelers by showcasing local sustainability efforts and options. Weaving in sustainability messaging to advertising in an authentic way is a great way to show travelers that your destination is committed to eco-tourism.   

Drawing travelers into the local experience

By showing all the unique aspects the country has to offer outside of the well-known beaches and offering the local perspective, the campaign has seen excellent results. Throughout the year, the campaign saw a return on ad spend of 196:1 and was able to increase passenger demand by 15% and room night demand by over 25%, compared to 2019 levels.