Dominican Republic diversifies: historic flow of tourists outside the US and Canada

The DR captured 245,301 tourists outside of North America in January

Public and private sectors work to recover industry

The president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic ( Asonahores ), Rafael Blanco Tejera, highlighted the tourism results in January and is optimistic about the development of the year 2022.

“Outside of tourists from the United States and Canada , our country received more tourists than ever from the rest of the world, which tells us that we are on a very good path and that we are efficiently diversifying the tourism promotion of our destination,” he said.

He explained that the Dominican Republic managed to register a historical maximum of 245,301 foreign tourists from countries other than the United States and Canada.

The head of the largest tourism union in the country highlighted the figures presented by the Ministry of Tourism ( Mitur ) with an arrival of more than half a million tourists last month, which represents a growth of 159% compared to 2021 and an equivalent to 95 % of tourist arrivals compared to 2020, a remarkable achievement that projects a year of great results for the sector.

“January started off on the right foot and from Asonahores what we will do is continue working hand in hand with the authorities to continue with this wave of good news for our country,” Blanco Tejera said in a statement.

For the tourism executive, the sector’s recovery is a reality. Moreover, the trend and projections for February and the rest of the year are highly positive, so he anticipates that this sector will positively impact the economy’s recovery in 2022.

Blanco Tejera congratulated the Mitur team for the work they have been carrying out for this recovery, as well as the closeness they have had with the private sector to make a joint effort that allows the Dominican Republic to be the destination in the region with the best results in terms of arrival of tourists after the pandemic caused by Covid-19.

Gov. starts US$506M metro line of 7.3km

Santo Domingo.-  The Dominican Government has begun the construction of Line 2C of the Santo Domingo Metro, which, together with the announced Santo Domingo Train, is one of the major projects that seeks to reduce  traffic.

President Luis Abinader, together with Rafael Santos Pérez, executive director of the Office for the Reorganization of Transport (Opret), broke ground Tuesday for the work that will be ready in 24 months -according to projections- and which will cost around US$506 million.

Of that amount, US$110 million will be for the construction of a side road and US$396 million for the extension of Line 2C, which will be made up of five stops, distributed over 7.3 kilometers.

Of that length, 800 meters will be below ground through a mining tunnel connected to the María Montez station, and 6.5 kilometers will be an elevated span.

Humpbacks expand their Dominican playground

Samana.- The visit of humpback whales, one of the natural tourist attractions in the Dominican Republic, extends to the shores of the municipality of Miches, where nature lovers can enjoy such a fascinating spectacle.

These marine giants, which arrive every year from the beginning of January to the end of March, move from the front of La Gina de Miches bay, Loma Redonda, Costa Esmeralda and the Club Med area, further boosting tourism in the area, say hikers.

Edy Hernández, president of the company “La Carpia Tours” said that since 2018 the company obtained the first license for the observation of humpback whales in the Miches area.

The scenarios that make the Dominican Republic a ‘movie destination’

The Dominican Republic has become one of the favorite places for film productions, and in the video published by William Ramos, two beaches are presented that have been the scenes of famous movies.

Both beaches are in Samaná: Playa el Valle and Playa Ermitaño, which have been the setting for the productions: the movie Tiempo and the series Survivor.

Cap Cana confirms it will have the first Marriott St. Regis hotel in the Dominican Republic

The luxurious resort will have 350 hotel rooms.

Sanitary measures stand out, and infrastructures boost tourism.

Jorge Subero Medina, executive president of Cap Cana, indicated that the Dominican Republic continues to gain ground with the incursion of exclusive hotel brands that choose to develop their properties in the country, particularly in the destination of Cap Cana.

In that sense, it reconfirmed the development of a St. Regis Hotels & Resorts of the  Marriott International Hotels chain in the Punta Espada golf course area.

“It is a very exclusive project since it is the first time that the brand will arrive in the country and there will be some 350 rooms that will be added to the country’s lodging portfolio that will once again put Cap Cana in another position,” he added.

The complex would be the brand’s first in the Dominican Republic. In Central America and the Caribbean, the hotel company has two St. Regis hotels, one in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

The brand combines classic sophistication with a modern sensibility, committing to delivering exceptional experiences at more than 40 luxury hotels and resorts in the best destinations around the world.

Due to the development of the hotel and the recent inauguration of the Margaritaville by Karisma, Subero Medina explained that the three qualities for which the Dominican Republic remains the preferred tourist destination to invest in hotel developments are: the vaccination program to control the Covid pandemic -19, maturity as a country and hotel infrastructures.

“RD has spectacular hotel infrastructures which are being used and have been part of the hard work that we Dominicans have been doing for many years,” he added.

Meanwhile, and without neglecting the good deeds with which the country’s tourism continues to recover, the director said that there are still some other needs, such as a second line of beach and diversifying the complimentary offer.

«There is always one or another need, and putting a second beach line into production is one of them because the first line has matured and we need another one because we have to expand. In addition, we have the challenge of adding complementary elements that serve as a plus to the hosting offer,» he said.

Abinader reinforces the Tourism Cabinet

Santo Domingo, DR

President Luis Abinader ordered the expansion of the Tourism Cabinet, an entity whose objective is to design and propose public policies related to the tourism sector to stimulate its development and guarantee its strengthening.

The measure was arranged through decree number 46-22, in which President Luis Abinader chairs the entity.

It is also made up of the Ministers of Tourism, who act as its general coordinator, Public Health, Defense, and Foreign Affairs. The Tourism Cabinet was created by decree 498-20. Its powers include coordinating the design of public policies for the tourism sector articulating plans and projects related to the tourism sector with member institutions.

Also, establish the actions that its members must execute derived from the agreed plans and projects and that are inherent to their functions and attributions, establish the communication strategy and plan to be executed as a consequence of any action that affects the tourism sector, promote the participation of the private sector linked to the area for the preparation, coordination, and execution of public policies and ensure the correct implementation of duly approved policies, programs, and plans.

In its article 4, the decree indicates that the Tourism Cabinet is made up of the following people.

The Cabinet will be attached to the Ministry of Tourism. From now on, it will also be made up of the Commander General of the Dominican Republic Navy, the Director-General of the National Police, the president of the National Directorate for Drug Control (DNCD), the Director of the Export and Investment Center of the Dominican Republic, the directors of Customs, of the Specialized Body of Airport Security (CESAC). In addition, the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) president, the directors of the Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC), the Airport Department, the Tourism Police, whose members will perform their duties on an honorary basis, will also be involved.

The Tourism Cabinet will hold regular monthly sessions to achieve the goals set for developing the tourism sector after being called by its general coordinator, the Minister of Tourism. However, it may meet extraordinarily as many times as deemed necessary.

Boeing builds US$200M repair shop in Dominican SW

Santo Domingo.- The company Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo 21 (Aerodom), which manages six terminals in the country, had a 2021 where it managed to recover 80% of the air traffic that it registered in 2019 and looks upbeat at the local future of this industry, to which you are making or will make investments.

Aedorom intends to soon make investments in the runway of the Gregorio Luperón Airport, located in Puerto Plata, in addition to the remodeling it has done in the Las Américas terminal (AILA), according to the company’s CEO, Mónika Infante.

“In (the airport of) Puerto Plata we are going to do a major work in May, which will last 10 days in its first phase and the runway will be closed. It is a necessary work to maintain the runway, but also to increase its capacity and receive larger aircraft, ”she said.

During his participation in the Free Dialogue, Infante explained that in the case of AILA, the company works in the Central Atrium, a commercial plaza where the passenger, after doing his migration and security check, can walk and visit the six restaurants that It will have several new stores and a recreation area.

She announced that the work will be finished in March, although it is planned to be inaugurated the second or third week of April. She specified that this work exceeds US $ 15 million.

She added that at the María Montez airport, located in Barahona, work is being done on the installation of a Boeing aircraft repair shop, whose construction would take 36 months at a cost of US$200 million.

530K tourists arrive in DR, a 129% jump

Santo Domingo.- The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, revealed that in January 2022, 530,956 non-residents arrived in the country, 129% more than the previous year, of which 82% were of Dominican origin.

He also indicated that despite the cancellation of flights from the United States to the Dominican Republic due to snow storms that affected the US East Coast, non-resident arrivals remained above half a million tourists.

Collado explained at a press conference that these indicators show that the country continues to lead the arrival of tourists in the Caribbean, however, despite the omicrom variant and the tightening of the measures, the consequence was that the arrival of Canadians in the country was affected.

Likewise, he indicated that this misfortune did not prevent non-residents from the rest of the world from registering an all-time high of 245,301, excluding the United States and Canada.

Due to economic growth, Dominican Republic will be in the top 10

The economic growth of 12.3% exhibited by the Dominican Republic in 2020 will place the country in the top 10 in the world in the line of most significant growth, predicted the Minister of Economy, Planning, and Development, Miguel Ceara Hatton, who also said that something similar would happen with the balance compared to 2019, thanks to the 4.7% that was achieved.

“At least in Latin America, we are the country with the highest growth. Those are the figures. There is nothing more to say,” said Ceara Hatton.

When questioned about what former President Leonel Fernández said that the Central Bank is manipulating public opinion, the Minister of Economy reacted in defense of the country’s leading banking entity, explaining that it is only publishing growth statistics as it always has done and that they are very clear.

It is recalled that Fernández described as an illusion that the people are told that the country had a growth of 12.3% since it is a statistical rebound and a bubble is being created.

The president of the People’s Force also cited that inflation for 2021 was 8.5%, twice what the Central Bank set, so the people are feeling the economic crisis to which the government never refers.

Central Bank’s monetary policy rate reaches 5% per year.

The  Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) decided to increase its monetary policy interest rate by  50 basis points this Monday, going from  4.50% to 5.00% per year. In this way, the rate of the permanent liquidity expansion facility (1-day repos) increases from 5.00% to 5.50% per year and the interest-bearing deposit rate (Overnight) from 4.00% to 4.50% per year.

The monthly variation of the consumer price index (CPI) in December was 0.73%, while the year-on-year inflation at the end of 2021 was 8.50%. On the other hand, year-on-year core inflation, which excludes the most volatile components of the basket, reached 6.87% in December 2021, reflecting second-round effects on production associated with supply shocks.

This decision is part of the monetary policy normalization plan being implemented by the Central Bank to moderate price shocks. It contributes to the convergence of inflation to the target range in a context of highly dynamic economic activity.

Covid-19 is not gone, but is on the decline

Santo Domingo, DR

According to the data registered by the National Health Service (SNS), the hospital centers in Santo Domingo have presented a lower concentration of patients in the Covid-19 Unit in their different premises.

These are the cases of the hospitals Doctor Francisco Moscoso Puello, Doctor Luis Eduardo Aybar, and the Cardio-Neuro-Ophthalmology and Transplant Center (Cecanot), which have had low figures for their admitted and discharged patients.

The hospital network for Covid-19 reports 1,487 beds where there are only 184 in use, in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with several 316 beds available but 94 occupied.

Until yesterday the Moscoso Puello had 11 patients admitted for Covid; in the ICU area, there are three, six in generic internment, and two in the center emergency.

Vaccination and tests
At the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), a security staff member explained that the PCR and antigen testing center located in that academy was closed on January 28 since it will work temporarily.

What will remain normal is the VacúnateRD point. Dr. Arsenia Lugo, the supervisor of this point, declared that “this week the visit of adults in search of inoculating themselves with their third and fourth doses has been the guideline, but the one that predominates is the laying of the third, the one that is most apply are Pfizer and Sinovac.”

The doctor said that pregnant women with less than three months of gestation who decide to carry out their inoculation must be referred by their obstetrician and do not present setbacks in their health. “Only 1% of pregnant women have come to get their vaccines,” said Lugo.

In the case of children between the ages of 12 and 17, two doses of the Pfizer vaccine are applied.

Along the same lines, at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center, where both vaccination functions and the nasal swab are also carried out, they continue with their usual functions.

In the words of Dr. Carla Morel, “we have had good attendance, today a little lower than in previous days, but appointments have been made more frequently. The presence of young people has been felt a lot today (yesterday).”

Morel clarified that there are all kinds of services in this vaccination center, from the first to the fourth dose of the biologicals used to prevent the coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 disease.

The virus broke out in China in December 2019 and then spread to Asia, Europe, America, and Africa, leaving millions infected and dead. The first case in the Dominican Republic was detected on March 1, 2020.

A US$60M industrial center for the North region

Santo Domingo.- What they have called the largest and most important shopping center in the entire North region and which will house more than 35 service companies in Dajabon, was announced Wednesday afternoon by several business groups.

The strategic alliance worth US$60 million is made up of the business groups Capital Holding, Constructora Calyon Finance and the Chinese Commercial, Production and Investment Office in the Dominican Republic (Ocpird), who are in charge of developing the Hispaniola Border Multimodal Zone, and for this they signed a agreement.

Richard Wu, president of the Ocpird, after the signing of the agreement of intent in the “Joint Venture” mode, explained that Capital Holding will sell 50 percent of its real estate to the Ocpird, also providing all the permits to operate as a industrial park and as a logistics area, protected by Law 12-21 that creates the Special Zone for Integral Border Development.

Dominican tourism megaproject boasts a major airport

Santo Domingo.- When the Pedernales development project has completed its fourth phase, it’s estimated that the international airport that is planned to be built in that border province will receive 963,155 international passengers, a number higher than the non-resident travelers who arrived in 2019 to Cibao International Airport, which was 707,019.

The images with the design of the terminal, printed in a 377-page book that contains the Tourism Development Plan for Cabo Rojo, Pedernales, are avant-garde.

They are far from the poverty that many families have today in that province, considered among the three poorest in the Dominican Republic.

The shape of the designed airport is inspired by the sea turtles that nest on the coast of Pedernales, and its other spaces also include the fauna and flora of the Cabo Rojo area, where the arid forest prevails.

The idea of ​​an international airport in Pedernales was also promoted in the past administration of Danilo Medina, who also announced a tourism development project that was never executed

Asonahores: arrival of tourists remains very active in high season

The president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism ( Asonahores ), Rafael Blanco Tejera, said that the trajectory in the arrival of visitors would remain very active in the upcoming 2022 high season “since the last quarter of the year, October, November, and December, the country broke a record in the arrival of tourists.»

He indicated that the rate of reservations has been recovering since the end of January, so the entity is working on preparations to maintain growth for the summer.

“High season will be extraordinarily good,” he emphasized.

Regarding the pace of recovery, Blanco Tejera said that it is notable not only in reservations but also at the level of cruise ships, traditional tourism, and business.

“In the last months of the year, Santo Domingo had an occupancy rate of more than 75%, and that means that business tourism also returned, which was a great unknown because we did not know when it would be reactivated, and it did so because there is a marked interest. of the business traveler to resume their rhythm in the DR,” he added.

Dominican Republic starts megatourism project

Santo Domingo.- The energy production in Pedernales (southwest) is not enough for the megatourism development project at Cabo Rojo in that province, promoted by the government of Luis Abinader.

The project considers the construction of a solar farm among the sources to diversify the energy matrix of the region.

According to the estimates set forth in the plan, the demand for energy would increase to 72% in the next 20 years, as the hotels projects are developed.

For 2015, the establishments in Pedernales with the largest number of employees estimated that, in percentage terms, spending on salaries ranked second, only behind the cost of electricity, which in some cases represented up to 60% of expense totals.

Puntacana Group heaps praise on Abinader

Santo Domingo.- Puntacana Group president Frank Elías Rainieri, affirmed that the participation of the Dominican Republic in the Madrid International Tourism Fair (Fitur 2022) “has been a unique opportunity” to promote tourism and connect people with the best of the country.

“This has allowed us to show the world, as a country and a tourist destination, where we come from, the development path we want to follow, what has been achieved to surmount the pandemic and the future development that we want to share with investors and visitors.”

He highlighted the presence of President Luis Abinader and the active management of the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, at Fitur 2022.

“Our president didn’t just make a tour of the fair, which is happening for the first time at FITUR, he dedicated four days to attending tourism entrepreneurs from Spain, Germany, France and other European markets, interested in expanding their businesses, at the Dominican stand. and invest,” he said.

Abinader, grateful for the words of the former US ambassador.

The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, shared a message on his Twitter account thanking the former United States ambassador, Robin Bernstein, for her “warm words.”

«I appreciate these warm words from the former United States ambassador, broadcast yesterday in the space « This is not radio.» Robin Bernstein is a distinguished friend of our people. My family and I are also proud to be his friends.”

Bernstein, who was a special guest for the “This is not radio” program, referred to President Abinader as “a hardworking man” and “someone who has a sure path to lead the country.”

“I think he has made a lot of progress in the country. He is a very hardworking man and he has a way to go. I’m glad I can call him: my friend,» he mentioned.

His farewell to the country

The United States ambassador to the nation,  Robin S. Bernstein,  said goodbye to the country on Thursday, January 13, during an act in which she said she was leaving with a feeling of great satisfaction. However, she considered the farewell as bittersweet.

During an act, which was broadcast through the social networks of the United States Embassy in the country, he said that the Dominican Republic was his number one option due to the conditions in the country, mainly because it is a nation of faith.

“When you come to a place that has these foundations of faith, it’s easy to choose. You go to the churches here, the Jews go to the synagogues and the Dominican Republic was one of the first countries that opened its doors to the Jews and I wanted to thank the Dominican Republic for that gesture,” said the diplomat.

The people, the culture, the music, the baseball are some of the things that he liked the most about the Dominican Republic.

STOA and Grupo Energético join forces to expand Los Guzmancito park

Grupo Energético 23 (GE23) announced STOA ‘s investment in Poseidon Energía Renovable (PER) , a company in charge of the development, financing and active management of the 100 MW Los Guzmancito Wind Farm , located in the municipality of Luperón, Puerto Plata. With STOA’s investment, the project will nearly double its capacity by adding a US$128 million Phase II consisting of an additional 13 turbines. The National Energy Commission (CNE) granted in December 2021 the definitive concession for this expansion of the project. The phase mentioned above recently began its construction after an inaugural ceremony with the President of the Republic.

“We are delighted to partner with STOA , which brings deep wind expertise and international best practices on environmental and social governance to the project and to our country,” said Ernesto Armenteros, Partner at GE23 and CEO of PER.

While Roberto Camino L., managing partner of GE23, maintains that “the expansion of Los Guzmancito will create thousands of local jobs during construction and several dozen permanent ones.

It will also create roads to the previously inaccessible mountain and coastal terrain, to the benefit of nearby cruise ship tourism, and the Guzmancito community itself will benefit from the restoration of schools, churches, sports facilities, and pumps for running water and irrigation.”

Dominican Republic-Cooperstown express

Santo Domingo.- Not only to see compatriots win medals at the Olympic Games this century. Dominicans have also become accustomed to the news of the arrival of a former player on baseball’s Mount Everest.

David Ortiz already has his niche in Cooperstown and will be inducted on July 24. He will be the third Quisqueyan to arrive at the temple reserved for the best in the last seven years.

The first Dominican burst onto the scene in 1956 with Osvaldo Virgil and as early as 1960 they had their first big star in Juan Marichal, who carved out an immortal career that was certified in 1983.

24 years passed between the entry of Cy Young winners Marichal and that of Pedro Martínez (2015) and only three to see the landing of Vladimir Guerrero (2018), the first possition player to do so.

Dominican Gov. wants deals with Qatar

Santo Domingo.- The Minister of Energy and Mines and the Vice Minister of Hydrocarbons said Wednesday before a delegation from the State of Qatar the investment potential that the country has in the areas of electricity and fuels.

Both Antonio Almonte and Vice Minister Walkiria Caamaño stressed how important it would be for the Dominican Republic if that Arab State were interested in exploring and investing in these two lines.

Almonte pointed out that the government headed by President Luis Abinader is interested in Qatar being aware of and collaborating with the hydrocarbon exploration efforts in the Dominican Republic and making investments in the renewable energy line.

“For us it is very important that you are interested in this type of exploration and investment in the Dominican Republic,” Almonte said during a meeting with the delegation of officials and entrepreneurs.

RED Air airline opens offer of flights to Miami with special rates

The Dominican airline RED Air offers special market rates for its daily route from Santo Domingo to Miami. This strategy responds to the company’s interest in participating in the offer of flights to this vital city and reinforcing its commitment to the tourism sector.

“Within the framework of our positioning strategies, we already have an interesting range of rates available to the market that have already been published through the entire network of Travel Agencies, business partners and our electronic media to facilitate consultation and purchase of tickets. . We have prepared interesting offers and added values ​​that will be appreciated and will motivate new clients to enjoy our services”, said Héctor Gómez, Executive President of RED Air.

The airline has two daily flights between Santo Domingo and Miami at convenient times that allow connectivity and flexibility when traveling.

Tickets

The purchase of tickets can be made through the entire chain of tourist services, such as travel agencies and tourism wholesalers, and the website www.redair.com.do, which has a modern platform of “E-commerce,” friendly and straightforward the user who visits it.

The airline also makes advice available at its sales offices located on Avenida Sarasota and Plaza Morichal in Santo Domingo.

“We want to offer the market a reliable option, with high standards of care and service but at the same time competitive and aggressive in commercial matters from an organization that seeks a privileged place in the preference of the Dominican consumer,” said Gómez.

A group of businessmen leads the RED Air projectwith extensive experience in civil aviation and airport services, committed to the aeronautical sector, its development, and its contribution to the economy and tourism of the Dominican Republic.

“Currently we have a team of more than 100 professionals from different administrative, operational and commercial areas. Our fleet of four McDonnell Douglas aircraft, equipped with a comfortable 12-seat business class cabin and a comfortable 137-seat tourist class cabin, but the idea is to continue growing,” said Gómez.

About RED Air

With a vocation for service, it seeks to satisfy the requirements of its clients and contribute to the development of the airline industry and the Dominican economy, aligned with the central government’s policies for the sustainable development of core sectors such as air transport and tourism.