By the Caribbean Journal staff

Palace Resorts is planning a significant expansion in the Dominican Republic, Caribbean Journal has learned.

The all-inclusive resort company is planning to add an additional 1,200 rooms at its planned Moon Palace Punta Cana in the area of Macao.

The new Moon Palace Punta Cana initially contained a 2,150-room hotel, along with 20 eateries, nine bars, seven swimming pools and a water park, along with a 75-booth wellness spa, a casino and a large convention center.

That expansion would mean a total of 3,350 rooms across the project.

Palace Resorts broke ground on the massive new project last year, with an investment estimated at $600 million.

Palace Resorts EVP Gibran Chapur and Dominican Republic Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia.

The property will also include a Greg Norman Eco Signature Design Golf Course.

The news comes amid a troubled time for the destination as the Dominican Republic seeks to reassure travelers concerned about safety issues in some of its resorts.

 “We can feel confident, that as a country, we have undertaken the necessary actions to counteract the recent events, and will always work towards continuing to improve, and especially prevent these situations from ever taking place again,” said Dominican Republic Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia.

The Le Blanc Spa Resort in Cancun, part of Palace’s regional portfolio.

Gibran Chapur, executive Vice President of Palace Resorts, said the Dominican Republic was a safe destination, and that Palace Resorts would “confidently continue investing in its tourist sector.”

Palace Resorts has a portfolio of 10 oceanfront resorts in the wider Caribbean-Mexico region, concentrated in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico.

For more, visit Palace.