CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 2, 2025--
The Dominican Republic presented its country strategy to strengthen air connectivity with Chicago by introducing more direct flights to Punta Cana, along with a special promotion for passengers before an audience of over 200 travel agents and tour operators in Chicago.
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During a Road Show held by the Ministry of Tourism of Dominican Republic this Wednesday in the Windy City, the country announced a promotional offer through Arajet, their flag carrier, under the code “FLYCHICAGO”, granting passengers a 50% discount when booking this new route. In addition, a series of advantages were unveiled for tour operators and travel agents, designed to provide them with greater benefits when sending clients to the Dominican Republic, particularly Punta Cana.
This strategic connection not only expands travel options for passengers but also contributes to strengthening tourism, cultural exchange, and economic development between both destinations, further consolidating the country as a key player in the international connectivity between the Americas.
The inaugural flight is scheduled for November 15, 2025, with three weekly frequencies departing from Punta Cana International Airport on Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Likewise, flights from Chicago O’Hare International Airport will operate on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Mondays.
This new route represents more than 2,200 weekly seats, connecting passengers from both cities and positioning Chicago as a strategic destination for the Dominican Republic given its cultural diversity and strong tourism and business potential.
According to the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Tourism, the United States remains the country’s main source market, with Chicago ranking among the key U.S. gateways, sending more than 138,000 visitors to the Dominican Republic by air.
The special promotion “Fly Chicago”, available from August 27 to 31, 2025, offers up to 50% off base fares in Smart, Comfort, or Extra, by using the promotional code FLYCHICAGO. The applicable travel period will run from November 15, 2025, to March 18, 2026, subject to availability.
Passengers taking advantage of this offer will enjoy direct flights between Chicago and Punta Cana, with the additional possibility of connecting through Arajet’s robust network of destinations across the region.
“At Arajet, we remain committed to creating new opportunities for connectivity between the Dominican Republic and the United States with competitive fares that allow more people to enjoy our destinations. Chicago is a key city for both tourism and business travel, and this new route will strengthen ties between our two nations,” said Víctor Pacheco Méndez, CEO and Founder of Arajet.
About Arajet
Arajet is the Dominican Republic’s flagship airline. Recognized as the World’s Best New Airline 2023 by the World Aviation Summit, Arajet launched operations in 2022 and currently operates from two bases: Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo and Punta Cana International Airport. With a modern fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, the airline offers safe and affordable travel to and from the Dominican Republic, and across North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean.
For more information, visit www.arajet.com
Arajet Airplanes
Moderator:
• Dr Eric Chee-hang Yip, Executive Director, Intermediaries Division, Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”)
Speakers:
• Mr George Gaffney, Chief Operating Officer, Bullish Group
• Mr Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, the Government of the HKSAR
• Dr Hon Johnny Kit-chong Ng, Member of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR
Mr Christopher Hui
• On Traditional Finance (TradFi) and the rise of Defi, Chris Hui acknowledged that there will be eventual convergence between the two. He shared that “For the innovators, they now increasingly come to realize that they need applications for technology to be utilized and for the benefits to be seen. At the same time, the conventional banking financial market people also feel there’s pressure externally from their customers and internally for them to innovate. In terms of the conflict… it is easier to reconcile than before, as the two sides now know that they need each other.”
• On other jurisdictions’ dedicated regulatory approach towards digital assets, Chris Hui shared that Hong Kong considered taking a similar approach but foresaw “the convergence” between TradFi and DeFi, noting that “if you have a separate regulator which is detached from daily regulation of conventional market, synergy will be very difficult.” He noted that “in terms of leading implementation of digital asset-related initiatives…what we have done is to ensure that this convergence can happen at the same time, smoothly.”
Discussion highlights of the second day of panel discussions at GPS2026 Panel 3: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the Crypto World .
Dr Hon Johnny Kit-chong Ng
• Johnny Ng mentioned that jurisdictions like UAE and Korea are very active in trading digital assets and cryptos. He shared that “unlike the practice in Hong Kong, these places have dedicated? crypto or digital assets regulators. To attract talents and investors from all over the world to Hong Kong, we should learn from the good practices from other jurisdictions, and to take precautions against the unpredictable.”
• Eric Yip shared that "regulators have to balance between their contradictory mandates.Markets will always evolve faster than any regulator can promulgate new rules and regulations. Contradictions in the industry are: fast vs slow’ innovation versus traditions;TradFi versus crypto…. But, it seems that the conflicting concepts are converging." He asked Johnny Ng, "how Hong Kong should balance [these] conflicting forces."
• Johnny Ng advised that "regulators should use advanced technologies to combat against technological challenges - blockchain data are available online, and with the most critical risks being anti-money laundering (AML), know-your-customer (KYC). While Hong Kong is a small and open economy, we have to observe the regulatory requirements, both from Hong Kong and other parts of the world. Our government and also regulators should use state of the art technologies to tackle all these problems so that the industry can develop quickly but at the same time operates in a safe environment, hence balancing development and security."
Mr George Gaffney
• Regarding blockchain, George Gaffney emphasized that “the technology is publicly visible,” where “you can see every transaction that’s ever occurred. They can never be deleted. You can build things like KYC into the blockchain itself.” He noted that “we need more cross pollination [between] the regulators… and the businesses, we need more blockchain expertise… Blockchain doesn’t just apply to a single asset class, it applies to multiple asset classes… Hence, a way has to be worked out to simplify connections and communications of both sides.”
• When asked "what mistakes the industry should avoid at all costs," George Gaffney mentioned the "large hacks in the DeFi part of the [digital assets] ecosystem." He noted that "it was just basic security hygiene that was missing from the platforms," and added that "this is where regulators can add value very quickly. References should be made to practices in places like Hong Kong where can you have a layer of regulation across DeFi platforms, minimum standards that could give confidence in platforms that are more progressive than traditional centralized exchanges."
