Puerto Plata cancels 4000 hotel reservations due to closure of flights from Russia

More than six thousand citizens of both countries visited the destination in 2021

Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine negatively impacts tourism in the province of Puerto Plata, whose demarcation received 6,252 visitors from both nations during the year 2021.

Of this total, 5,471 are Russians, and the remaining 781 are Ukrainians, according to a Central Bankreport.

However, Katy Morillo, executive director of the Northern Hotel Association ( Ashonorte ), reported that with the cancellation of direct flights between Russia and Puerto Plata, they were forced to cancel about four thousand reservations.

He described these cancellations as a “hard blow” for the tourism industry in the DR.

Morillo stated that Russian visitors were fundamental support for tourism in Puerto Plata during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He explained that in the case of Russia, in recent years, it has been one of the main tourist issuing markets that the DR has; in addition, citizens of this nation have essential investments in the real estate sector in the municipality of Sosúa and the municipal district of Cabarete.

On his side, Julio Almonte, former Minister of Tourism for the North, highlighted the importance of the Russian market for the sector in the area.

“Referring to official data, he recalled that a foreign tourist spends an average of 140 dollars per day per capita,” he said.

He said that the Russians are not a market that comes and stays in hotels. “They are mobilized in marine excursions and for the different attractions that we have,” according to Diario Libre.

He added that foreigners pay good rates and regularly stay for three or four weeks, leaving benefits in the economy.

“To date, nearly a thousand Russians staying at the Iberostar, Senator, Be Live Marien and other hotels are waiting for the resumption of flights to leave the country,” he added.

He reported that visitors from countries in conflict are attracted by the warm climate, natural attractions, and the beautiful beaches of the Amber Coast.

Meanwhile, David Antonio Ferreira Jiménez, president of the Council of the Association for Sustainable Development of Sosúa, reported that about two thousand Ukrainians and Russians reside on the north coast, who they say live in total harmony.

He argued that both communities have exemplary behavior without anyone being able to link them to criminal acts.

Central Bank Dominican economy grew 6.3% in Jan.

Santo Domingo.- The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) reported that in the month of January the monthly indicator of economic activity (IMAE) registered a year-on-year expansion of 6.3%, “resulting better than expected behavior in the context of an accelerated spread in the country of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 during the first month of the year.”

It pointed out that this fifth wave of contagion caused significant work absenteeism due to the peak registered in the number of active cases of the virus, given the faster transmission of the variant with respect to the previous ones, although with a lower lethality.

The monetary program of the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic projects that growth will be around 5.5%-6.0% in 2022, close to its potential. “However, it is important to note that the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has significantly increased the uncertainty of the international environment, due to its impact on world economic conditions, including trade flows and the increase in oil prices and other commodities, which could affect growth prospects for 2022.”

Reading in Puerto Plata

Puerto Plata, DR
The Cultural Renovation Society of Puerto Plata was founded 93 years ago, being the oldest entity in the country with the mission to promote literature and the preservation of the historical memory of that city.

Alma Banks, director of this library, commented that after the pandemic, the attendance of readers has decreased, but that the users who frequent the library are interested in research on specific topics such as leadership, psychology, novels, history, world literature, among others.

He also highlighted the activities of this public entity to promote reading, such as visits to educational centers, book donations in public and private places, and a reading club through which members and interested parties are offered the opportunity to take books home on loan.

Others that promote
With the commitment to stimulate reading in society and enrich vocabulary, Yasmin Cid created a movement called Literando RD, a philanthropic project dedicated to promoting reading and writing in the Dominican Republic through book donations and free workshops on reading comprehension, creative writing, and narrative.

In addition, Cid seeks to stimulate the analysis of various works and authors, improve reading comprehension and encourage people with specific motor or cognitive disabilities. This literary movement also reaches the schools of the Bride of the Atlantic.

Another place where they motivate people to feel a great passion for the art of reading is in the educational center Hogar Escuela Luisa Ortea, where the director Johanna Silverio highlighted the abundance of books that they have on the premises and that they even have a shelf with varied texts, from children’s stories to books of all areas for their students.

Silverio listed the different incentive programs they carry out, such as the “Project Read” from the Ministry of Education, the book fair in April, the participation in workshops, with some of their students winning, and the readings aloud in the classrooms with a microphone, as a way of motivating them to read correctly.

PP Writers
The inspiration to discover a magical world through the written word, the need to tell experiences and to lend their voice to others, was the muse for these people to become writers.

The writer and poet Johanna Goede considers the implementation of more bookstores to be opportune, not only in Puerto Plata but throughout the country, because in her opinion, a bookstore should be as crucial as a pharmacy or a supermarket, since books “cure ignorance, feed the intellect and broaden the worldview.”

As for the culture of reading in that city, she points out that she was a juror in the reading Olympics and was always surprised by the number of works read by the participants. Although it is no longer consumed as it used to be, she believes it is an inherent pleasure of human beings.

For his part, Pedro Santana, who is based in New York and received an honorable mention in a Latino Writers contest in the United States, argues that the reading level has decreased due to online reading and that movies have replaced books. “Reading is turning letters into words and words into images. Therefore, whoever reads takes ownership of language, which is the way we understand the world,” argued Santana.

In that order, the poet Pablo Rodriguez comments that due to the increase of virtual reading, many bookstores and libraries have disappeared as a space for the recreation of the imagination. The current generation has been distracted by the banal.

It should be noted that Rodriguez has a large community of poets and writers in the Luperon municipality of this city to create a space for creation where they share their experiences and encourage the production of written works.

“We left the name of the country high in the Book Fair of Madrid and New York, besides the creation of the Pablo Rodriguez Reading Club ascribed to Editora Santuario for the publication of books of our members,” he emphasized.

He expects to continue giving a clear example of the importance of reading and writing with the participation of its members in national and international fairs and to continue training those new talents who see literature as a fundamental part of society.

Dominican Gov. will provide aid to Ukrainian tourists

Santo Domingo.- Dominican Government  spokesman Homero Figueroa, reported that the government will provide humanitarian aid to Ukrainian tourists stranded in the country.

In addition, he notified that President Luis Abinader, will receive the honorary consul of Ukraine in the Dominican Republic, Ilona Oleksandrivn, on Wednesday.

“The Dominican Government will provide humanitarian aid to Ukrainian tourists stranded in the country. The @MITUR_RD is preparing a solution to house them. In addition, the president @luisabinader will receive the honorary consul Ilona Oleksandrivna tomorrow, Wednesday at 3:30 pm,” he wrote

Two European airlines plan to link Costa Rica with stopover in Santo Domingo

The Dominican Republic and Costa Rica signed an Air Services agreement to promote tourism and two joint declarations to establish a Strategic Alliance for Comprehensive Cooperation and the Preservation of the Oceans and Seas.

Concerning the Air Services agreement, it was explained that there are two European airlines interested in operating routes to San José, with a stopover in Santo Domingo.

The agreements were signed within the framework of a meeting to strengthen bilateral relations between Roberto Álvarez, Foreign Minister of the DR, and his counterpart, Rodolfo Solano Quirós, of the Republic of Costa Rica.

Both ministers expressed their commitment to strengthening political dialogue, defending democratic values ​​and principles, human rights, freedom, mutual collaboration in multilateral organizations, and the importance of maintaining international peace and security.

In this sense, according to Diario Digital RD, the foreign ministers condemned the use of force and the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Álvarez was accompanied by Ambassador José Julio Gómez, Vice Minister of Bilateral Foreign Policy; Ambassador Rubén Silié, Vice Minister of Multilateral Foreign Policy; Hugo Rivera, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs and International Cooperation; Miguel Núñez Herrera, director of the Cabinet; and   Anselmo Muñiz, director of Strategic Studies and Analysis.

Dominican Republic’s firm foothold in film industry

Santo Domingo.- Millions roll in the Dominican cinema. The audiovisual industry reported more than five thousand people working directly on 101 works or productions shot in Dominican locations during 2021, and moved more than RD$15 billion (US$263.1 million) in the economy.

President Luis Abinader, when offering the data yesterday in Congress, said that these figures directly affect “in sectors such as hospitality, transportation, construction, food and beverages, as well as small suppliers of products and services.

“We host some of the largest studios and audiovisual content companies in the world like Paramount Pictures, Netflix, Universal, Lions Gate and Disney.”

The economic projections of the cinematographic sector are promising. “By 2022, the government forecasts spending on foreign productions of at least 195 million dollars.”

US$29.8M aqueduct launches Dominican Republic’s SW

Santo Domingo.- The National Drinking Water and Sewage Authority (Inapa) called this week for a national public tender estimated at RD$1.13 billion (US$29.8 million), to build an aqueduct in Cabo Rojo, Pedernales, with a view to tourism development that the government promotes in that area of ​​the southwest.

The structure is part of the necessary works for the future deployment of large tourism projects announced by the government, in an area that lacks a drinking water supply and sanitation system, and is located in the provinces with the highest rates of country poverty.

“We only know from the locals and data collected by our technicians that the companies that have settled in the area, to develop mineral extraction projects, have created their own supply systems relying on the surrounding waters (underground or surface) for the usual tasks of their functions and the personnel who worked in them,” says Inapa in the tender specifications.

Abinader says Gov. won’t charge the 10$ fee to visitors

Santo Domingo.- President Luis Abinader, was part of “Dominicans on the Hill,” an activity carried out to celebrate the culture and legacy of the Dominican community in the United States.

During his participation together with the representative in the Congress of New York, Adriano Espaillat, organizer of the event, the head of state said that they are working to eliminate the 10 dollar fee that is charged to people who enter the country.

“We have added one more form for reimbursement… We are also working so that electronically from the moment you buy the ticket, because every Dominican puts his passport number or his ID and is no longer charged, as it should be, and it is what we aspire to for the coming months,” said the president

Cancellations of flights from Ukraine and Russia to the Dominican Republic are reported

Santo Domingo, DR

Even though in the Dominican airport terminals there are no reports on flight cancellations from Russia and Ukraine, Tourinews.es attributes in a publication to Kenneth Pina, commercial director of Colonial Tour and Travel, that the geopolitical crisis is affecting connections airlines, despite the boom in the Russian market in the Dominican Republic.

“All flights from Ukraine and Russia with the Dominican Republic have been canceled,” Kenneth Pina, commercial director of Colonial Tour and Travel, points out.

“In general, the Russian tourism market recovers quickly,” Pina points out in an exclusive interview for Tourinews; Colonial Tour and Travel is a DMC company with extensive experience as a receptive tour operator in the Dominican Republic. However, official sources told this medium that neither Samaná nor Puerto Plata has formal notification of cancellation by Nordwing, an airline that operates both destinations every ten days, and that they are attentive.

Another
Infotur Dominicana report reports that in 2021 the Dominican Republic received 262 flights from Russia, 241 under the standard modality, and 121 under the charter modality, transporting 178,955 passengers from this Eurasian nation.

From Ukraine, 207 flights arrived in the Caribbean nation, of which 122 were under the regular modality and 105 under the charter modality, transporting 65,413 passengers last year.

Together, the Dominican Republic received 469 flights and 244,368 passengers from these two nations.

February 27, 2022: The 178th Anniversary of National Independence

The Dominican Republic celebrates today, February 27, 2022, the 178th anniversary of National Independence, commemorating the legacy of the fathers of the Nation, Juan Pablo Duarte, Matías Ramon Mella, and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, for their triumph over Haitian domination.

The ideals and values ​​of the patrician Juan Pablo Duarte from the Trinitarian Secret Society and other entities made possible in 1844 the creation of the Dominican Republic free and independent of all foreign domination.

Next, learn about the Homeland heroes’ background, events, and legacy on the anniversary of National Independence.

Former captain-general and writer José Núñez de Cáceres declared the first independence of Spanish Santo Domingo, turning it into the  Independent State of Spanish Haiti and requesting its incorporation into Simón Bolívar’s Gran Colombia.

But their small state only lasted two months, the time it took  Haitian President Jean-Pierre Boyer to lead his army on February 9, 1822, in Santo Domingo, unifying the island under the name of Haiti.

The Haitian government ordered numerous liberal measures to reactivate the Dominican economy, such as abolishing slavery or agrarian reform distributing land among the new freedmen.

But Boyer made many controversial decisions that provoked the rejection of the Dominican population, such as the prohibition of some Spanish traditions, the prohibition of trade to Dominican residents, and the confiscation of the assets of the Catholic Church.

The government’s reformist measures and the cultural shock that the Haitian presence and its government meant began to damage the relationship between both sides.

Juan Pablo Duarte was born on January 26, 1813, in the city of Santo Domingo during the period known as Spain Boba, in an upper-middle-class family dedicated to the trade of marine items and hardware in the port of Santo Domingo area.

When Boyer conquered the island, he decreed the recruitment into the Haitian army of all young people between 16 and 25 years old.

This measure caused Santo Tomás de Aquino University to lose its students and close its doors.

On November 14, 1824, Boyer established French as the official language, unique and obligatory in the acts of the courts, civil status, and public notaries throughout the island.

After traveling much of Europe for academic purposes between 1828 and 1831 and coming into contact with the July Revolution, Duarte returned to Santo Domingo, determined to start a revolutionary movement.

Juan Pablo Duarte founded the secret society La Trinitaria, which later, upon being discovered by the Haitians, was renamed  La Filantrópica.

National Independence

On February 27, 1844, the rebels led by Sánchez, in the absence of Duarte, took the Ozama Fortress in the capital Santo Domingo.

The Haitian garrison was surprised, apparently betrayed by one of their sentinels.

Another group of insurgents, led by Matías Ramón Mella , reached the Puerta de la Misericordia where Mella fired the legendary Trabucazo de la Independencia and Sánchez immediately hoisted the new Dominican flag to the cry of Dios, Patria y Libertad!

The new republic had been born in a republican and democratic government, in a free town that rejected any foreign imposition.

The provisional government headed by the conservative Tomás Bobadilla quickly organized an army to defend the successful uprising and crush the counteroffensive of the reactionary troops sent by Port-au-Prince.

On November 6, 1844, a Constituent Assemblydrafted a constitution based on models from France that established the separation of powers and legislative checks on the executive.

This war continued throughout September and November 1845 when the Haitians were defeated in the battles of La Estrelleta and Beller.

In later dates, numerous battles took place before the attempts of the Haitians to retake the power in Santo Domingo.

But they were rejected, and it was not until 1865 that the independence of the Dominican Republicwas definitively consolidated with the Restoration War.

Luis Abinader: “We have overcome the pandemic”

President Luis Abinader began his second accountability speech by describing the COVID-19 pandemic as an event already overcome.¨

Today, we can say that we have managed to bring the country back to normality; we have overcome the pandemic being an example for the world. Moreover, we are the fastest growing economy in all of Latin America in economic terms.

Today, we have overcome the most severe threat, the pandemic, and we have done it as I said here then; with a health system that resists, that provides coverage to all.

As well as ¨with a massive vaccination program and without leaving any Dominican without the protection of his government.¨

Abinader highlighted that more than 32 billion pesos had been allocated to guarantee vaccination, treatments, diagnostic methods, and everything related to mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

¨As well as another 6 billion directed to the most important human resource that directly fights this virus; our doctors and nurses.¨

He indicated that last June, salaries were increased by 30% to all health personnel: doctors, nurses, bioanalysts, and others.

Thanks to these indicators, we have been one of the first countries in the world to eliminate restrictions and move towards normality.

Today, we are the ones who are at the forefront, as we did with the massive vaccination plan and the recommendation of the third dose.

Russian-Ukrainian conflict warns of serious blow to tourism in the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic receives about 50 thousand Russian tourists each month

Analyzes how Ukrainian tourists who visit the DR will return

The economist and business consultant, Henri Hebrard, projected that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will bring very negative consequences for tourism, the economy, and the Dominican Republic’s budgetary stability.

He explained that tourism would be hit hard since, in 2021, the two countries together contributed 269,612 tourists to the country. In January of this year 2022, 49,215 arrived from Russia and 13,749 from Ukraine, for a total of 332,576 travelers from these destinations in 13 months.

He indicated that “if the economic sanctions of the United States and Europe against Russia are very extreme, this could affect Russian tourism to the Dominican Republic, which is the main destination from these countries.”

He declared that from Ukraine, 15,000 tourists arrive monthly, and it is the fifth most important country for the DR from Europe, above Italy and the United Kingdom, and only surpassed by Russia, Germany, France, and Spain.

“Ukraine is currently the fifth largest market for tourists to the Dominican Republic from Europe. Nowadays, around 15 thousand tourists are received, more than from Italy and England,” he stated.

Hebrard wonders what will happen to the Ukrainian tourists who are visiting the DR and what will be the mechanisms to proceed with their return?, according to N Digital.

Concerning oil, the economist said that the other problem for the Dominican economy derived from the Russia-Ukraine war lies in the rise in the price of a barrel, which shot up to around 100 dollars in international markets.

In addition, he added that the other important aspect of the Dominican economy is that Ukraine is one of the leading exporters of wheat, corn, and soybeans, high-consumption products that will inevitably increase the prices of bread, chicken, and other foods.

He stated that the only positive aspect from the point of view of the Dominican economy is that the price of gold has skyrocketed to almost two thousand dollars an ounce, although it would not compensate for the increase that would occur in cereals and oil.

“That is positive, but it will never be positive enough to offset the negative of grain and oil,” he said.

Central Bank: health tourism increases in the Dominican Republic

The Central Bank reported a change in the tourist profile of those who visited the Dominican Republic in 2021, highlighting the growth of medical tourism in its statistics.

According to the institution, medical tourism increased its participation in 2021 compared to 2019, going from 0.5% of air travel to 3.7% during the period mentioned above.

It is recalled that the “Study and diagnosis of health tourism in the Dominican Republic,” the most recent on the segment, revealed that in 1918 health tourism contributed more than 13 billion pesos to the State.

In addition, 117,275 services were offered to people who planned to travel to the country for health reasons.

The study numbers do not include wellness tourists, representing an average growth of 15 percent for the health tourism segment and 7 percent for the tourism medicine segment compared to 2017.

The data has represented a great interest in the Government, since President Luis Abinader and Vice President Raquel Peña await a report from the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Tourism ( Mitur ) on the current situation of health tourism in the country, document that these institutions must deliver and present to the Health Cabinet before next March 6.

The report requested by presidential decree must include a survey of the current situation of health tourism in the DR and short, medium, and long-term proposals aimed at institutionalizing and strengthening the sector to favor its formalization and promotion.

Decree 787-21, issued at the end of last year, also instructs the Ministry of Public Health and the Mitur to sign an inter-institutional agreement to elaborate policies and strategies aimed at developing this important market niche.

Puerto Plata, the focus of expansion of a Spanish hotel chain

Plans to open an establishment with more than 100 rooms

Signs nine hotels in Latin America and the Caribbean

A medium-sized Spanish hotel company with more than 25 establishments to its credit has just confirmed a jump in its expansion in the American region.

According to what ‘ Development’ has exclusively advanced, this chain plans to open a hotel with more than 100 rooms in an attractive area of ​​Puerto Plata, as part of its expansion in which it has achieved the signing of nine hotels in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In addition, the prominence of these additions to its portfolio has corresponded to the second generation of a group with a presence in different parts of the Spanish market.

Abinader summons Economic Cabinet to analyze impact of Russia – Ukraine conflict

Santo Domingo, DR
President Luis Abinader suspended his activities scheduled to be held in the interior of the country this Thursday and called for an emergency meeting of the Economic Cabinet at 2:00 pm to take extraordinary measures concerning the effects of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, following the decision of the Russian government to invade Ukraine.

Those special measures will be announced on February 27 during the accountability speech.

“Today we are seeing the largest military operation in Europe since the Second World War…this situation goes beyond the price of oil, which today in the market is already over 100 dollars a barrel, but it is also affecting most of the raw materials, especially what has to do with the production of food such as wheat, soybeans and corn”, said Abinader.

The head of state said that this war conflict would cause a “special” economic crisis that can affect “drastically” the world situation.

“We came out of the pandemic, the pandemic created a disruption in the channels of distribution and distribution that has created a worldwide inflation and this is now going to worsen with this military crisis that will obviously create situations in all the prices of raw materials, commodities, oil, as we are seeing today,” added the President.

He called on the Dominican people not to worry.

Abinader exclaimed that the Dominican people “can trust” that the authorities will respond to the crisis “within their possibilities” and call on them not to worry but pay attention to what happens in this conflict.

“But at the same time, we must remain calm, our activities that the economic recovery of the free zones, construction, tourism must continue,” added the President.

He will speak about the war conflict this afternoon.

The President said he was dismayed by the human losses caused by the armed conflict and that he would be speaking about the “armed aggression this afternoon.”

This Thursday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “military operation” in Ukraine, the markets plummeted, and oil prices soared above 100 dollars.

Abinader’s statements were made after leading a meeting of the police council at the National Police Palace.

Sky Cana will add two new planes to double its passenger flow

They will include the A-330 and A-319 aircraft in March.

The CEO of Sky Cana, Frank Díaz, stated that after having finished the last year 2021 with the mobilization of 127 thousand passengers, he estimates to transport around 300 thousand in this 2022.

He indicated to arecoa.com that the metric to be met closes on January 31, 2023, so the operations, which are carried out by other national and international airlines, would be carried out in the United States and “we plan to incorporate Boston, New York, Los Angeles with the A-330 aircraft, Houston, Dallas and Las Vegas with the A-319.″

“There are two aircraft that will join the fleet, since we currently have 5, four A-321s and one recently arrived A-320,” he added.

He stated that the destinations, in addition, are: Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mexico, Colombia, “and already with the 330 we plan to move towards long-range routes such as Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and we have a request from the Italian community to Punta Cana, and we are pondering it together with the directors of the Punta Cana airport.

All would be direct flights with the 330, which is a modern aircraft, it is barely 5.5 years old with a capacity of 377 passengers and we will be receiving it next March,” he said.

Díaz indicated that the airline’s projections are due to the excellent reception (although not 100%) shown by the experience of the local passenger through a program that ended on January 11 and was requested by the Government.

“It was a project where 20 rotations were carried out and although it was not 100% satisfactory for passengers due to the pandemic issue, since there were days like December 23 when approximately 600 flights were canceled, and we did not cancel, we only delay and this causes discomfort with the passengers; Even so, this year the projections are very good,” he emphasized.

The manager recalled that the airline continued exhausting the process with the country’s civil aviation authorities.

Abinader touts the country’s recovery

Santo Domingo.-. President Luis Abinader described the values that he believes have accompanied the Dominican people since the founding of the Dominican Republic, attributing to them the good performance in historical struggles, such as the pandemic.

Abinader spoke at the steps of the National Palace in a solemn act of hoisting and military honors to the Dominican flag, whose day is commemorated this February 23.

The president stated that “it is no coincidence that the fight against Covid 19 and its negative effects on health, the economy and in all social spheres has been successful, making our country a benchmark for social normalization and economic recovery at the international level.”

Mitur negotiates more flights to Puerto Plata with British Airways

Tammy Reynoso, Deputy Minister of Tourism Development, confirmed the closing of negotiations with British Airways, which will begin operations to Puerto Plata in October 2022, with an investment of US$400,000 from the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur).

Similarly, he maintained that negotiations are being held with operators from South Florida, Condor from Germany, Corsair from France, and the Russian Tour Operator Pegas Touristik, to increase the arrival of tourists to the bride of the Atlantic.

The information was offered during the celebration of the board of directors of the Association of Hotels and Tourism (Asonahores), a meeting headed by the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, and attended by Rafael Blanco Tejera and Andrés Marranzini, president and vice president of the entity, respectively, and the different representatives of the sector.

Collado expressed that the recovery of tourism in the Dominican Republic is everyone’s achievement while emphasizing the interest in promoting the Puerto Plata destination.

“In our work schedule, Puerto Plata is our main point, and the signal was given at the Fitur fair, where after the visit of the King and Queen, two agreements for new flights to the destination were signed. We want to give Puerto Plata the hope and assurance that they are on our work agenda to guarantee much more flights,” he added.

Meanwhile, the directors of Asonahores presented topics of interest, such as the details of the DATE fair that will be held in Punta Cana from May 11-13, according to a publication by Ashonorte on social networks.

The meeting, held at the Gran Ventana hotel, was also attended by the Senator of the province of Puerto Plata, Ginette Bournigal; the president of the Playa Dorada Hotel Association, César José De Los Santos; the president of the Puerto Plata Tourism Cluster, Birgitt Heinsen; the general director of Infotep, Rafael Santos Badía and the tourist advisor of Ashonorte, José Natalio Redondo.

In February 390K tourists have arrived

Santo Domingo.- So far in February of this year, 390,000 tourists have arrived in the Dominican Republic, or 210% more than in February 2021 and 1% more than in the same month, but in 2019.

The information was offered this Sunday by the Minister of Tourism, David Collado. The official stated that only this Saturday 29,534 foreigners arrived in the Dominican Republic, “one of the highest figures.”

“The recovery of tourism is a worldwide success story,” Collado stressed.

The Minister of Tourism has intensified his promotional efforts to ensure that more foreign visitors continue to arrive in the Dominican Republic.

Recently, he headed the seventh day of the DR Tour in San Antonio, Texas, attended by more than 300 tour operators and travel agencies from the area.

The Icelanders look to return to the warmth

Punta Cana.- Icelandic tour operator FiTravel made its first flight from Reykjavík to Punta Cana airport, Dominican Republic, after more than a decade since Aeromar flights from Iceland were suspended.

Flight FI1047 arrived at the airport terminal with 182 passengers, including Thórunn Reynisdóttir, CEO of FiTravel, an agency that is studying the possibility of carrying out several frequencies during the fall of 2022.

The tourists arrived in the Boeing 757-256 with a capacity of 187 seats of the Icelandair airline, which was received to the rhythm of merengue by the folkloric ballet of the Ministry of Tourism directed by Oscar Batista, according to a statement from the Ministry of Tourism.

Jarolin De la Cruz, director of the Tourism Promotion Office (OPT) Scandinavia, said that the interest in traveling to the Dominican Republic from the Nordic countries shows a potentially favorable growth.