Austin. Detroit. Milwaukee. Hartford. Minneapolis. Providence. New Haven. What do they all have in common? It’s no secret that the biggest source markets for travel to the Caribbean are cities like New York, Miami and Chicago. In recent years, however, the growth of tourism has prompted airlines to tap into emerging source cities like these.
If you follow the Caribbean, you’ve seen it: New flights to the Caribbean are constantly being added from cities in Texas, the Midwest and New England. Even Los Angeles has become increasingly important for Caribbean travel, with new flights in the last two years to destinations such as the Cayman Islands and Nassau, to name a few.
And you can add one more city to the list: Nashville. The Music City has seen tremendous growth since the pandemic, which is now translating into higher demand for travel to the Caribbean — and Mexico.
The latest addition? Punta Cana thanks to a new route currently operating on Southwest Airlines.
Starting in March of next year, Southwest will launch new weekly nonstop service between Nashville and Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic’s most popular destination.
The new flight, which will launch on March 8, 2025, will be Nashville’s second Caribbean route, complementing an existing route between Nashville and Cancun in the Mexican Caribbean.
Southwest Airlines has also announced plans to open a new route to Mexico, with flights from Nashville and Cabo San Lucas also scheduled to begin next March.
Both routes are part of Southwest’s new flight schedule released this week and can already be booked.
So how much will Southwest Airlines’ new flights to the Caribbean cost?
They’re not exactly cheap. Currently, prices for flights on Southwest for March 10-17 start at $1,434.28 (Business Select flights are an additional $80), but it’s likely that these prices will drop as the March peak season moves into April and May.
Flights to Punta Cana take about three hours and 45 minutes, while the round trip takes about four and a half hours.
Planning a visit? Check out the Lopesan Costa Bavaro Resort, which has become a leading all-inclusive resort in the Bavaro area of Punta Cana.
For more information, book now with Southwest Airlines.
CJ Expert Opinion: Although Southwest Airlines has not expanded into the Caribbean as much as it did several years ago, the airline clearly seems to recognize the region’s potential, especially in emerging international travel markets like Tennessee.
