Biggest brewery to build a 53MW solar park

Santo Domingo.– The Dominican National Brewery (CND) signed an agreement with Akuo Energy Dominicana and with the participation of GAM Capital, for the construction of a solar energy park that will supply renewable power for its operations.

The president of the National Brewery, Fabián Suárez, said the creation of this park will generate 550 direct jobs and more than 2,000 indirect jobs, which will be built in Nagua with a capacity of 53 MW and will reduce carbon emissions by more than 50,000 tons per year.

Through the Project Viability Pact, the CND undertook to buy the energy that the solar park will produce, guaranteeing the viability of the project.

Apordom reveals that it is tourists who travel on the Flying Fox yacht

The boat is located in the Don Diego port of Santo Domingo

The luxurious yacht is known as the Disneyland for adults

It has a capacity for 25 guests distributed in 14 cabins

The luxury yacht Flying Fox that docked in Santo Domingo last Monday night, March 21, is out for a cruise with tourists, according to the Port Authority ( Apordom ), data provided by the port administration.

Said vessel is in the Don Diego port, located on Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó Avenue in the National District. It has been in the country for several days, but its departure date was not specified.

“The information given by the terminal is that it is a tourist yacht that is traveling around the country and about the crew it is only known that they are tourists,” said Apordom.

It is remembered that the luxurious Flying Fox was built by the German yacht brand Lürssen, to rent the yacht for a week, you must pay 3.5 million dollars, according to Diario Libre.

The Flying Fox vessel is known as the Disneyland for adults and is listed as the fourteenth largest yacht in the world.

The accommodation accommodates 25 guests distributed in 14 elegant double cabins with private bathrooms, equipped with a crew of 54 experienced members to offer a seven-star service during the stay onboard the guests.

Authorities seek to promote Puerto Plata and Santiago as a macro destination

The Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Tourist Companies of the North ( Ashonorte ), the Tourist Cluster of the Puerto Plata Destination, and the Association of Merchants and Industrialists of Santiago ( ACIS ) began a collaborative process to management strategies that can integrate Santiago and Puerto Plata as a macro destination.

The meeting, with the motto “Puerto Plata-Santiago: Two cities, one destination,” was held at the Senator Spa Resort hotel and was attended by the Senator and President of the Senate Tourism Commission, Ginette Bournigal; the Mayor of Luperón, Douglas Pichardo; the presidents of Ashonorte and the Cluster, Carlos Rodolí and Birgitt Heinsen, respectively, and the president of the ACIS, Sandy Filpo, among others.

Rodolí highlighted the importance of being able to join forces so that relations between the Puerto Plata destination and Santiago are strengthened through support alliances, where both provinces benefit.

“Union, integration and cooperation are three words that should define this exchange of the best practices of our institutions, taking advantage of the characteristics and benefits that complement us as the most diverse and complete region in the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, the president of the ACIS, Sandy Filpo, reported on the history, transcendence, and actions carried out by the entity during its 60 years of the foundation while pledging to promote a space he called “Puerto Plata Commitment” so that all the institutions of the province have an opening for dialogue and work to seek solutions to the everyday problems of destiny.

For his part, Bournigal welcomed the initiative, which he understands has been a desire for many years, to integrate Santiago and Puerto Plata into common actions that strengthen the Cibao region.

Government bets on the country’s wine production

Through the Special Fund for Agricultural Development (FEDA), the Dominican Government promotes the production of wines from the country whose manufacture is located mainly in Neyba, Bahoruco province, production which was recently the subject of Agreements between President Abinader and his Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernandez.

The director of FEDA, Hecmilio Galván, held a meeting with producers and managers of the Cooperative of Winemakers of the Neyba Valley COOPEVINE, responding to a request for financing from the executive director of the National Grape Institute (INUVA), José Santos Manzueta where he delivered a check for three million pesos to modernize the Cacique Enriquillo Winery with state-of-the-art technology, that allows us to improve the quality of our national wine.

The director of FEDA signed an agreement with the director of INUVA to allow the purchase of equipment for the wine cellar. This investment will improve Dominican wine, which is a wish of the Government of President Luis Abinader, ratified in his last International Tour for the Southern Cone.

Hecmilio Galván assured that his dream is to improve the quality of Dominican wine until it is positioned as a flagship wine, which allows it to be placed on the tables of restaurants and in Dominican hotels.

According to Galván, the country imports more than 60 million dollars in wines and about 30 million dollars in table grapes. The Dominican Republic has sufficient capacity to produce part of these goods and thus benefits thousands of producers in the South. Galván assured that through the FEDA, he would promote the production of wines and the cultivation of grapes.

Present at the event and referring to the importance of this issue were Mr. José Santos Manzueta, Director of the Grape Institute, José Darío Cepeda, Mayor of Neyba, Teófila Feliz, President of the COOPEVINE Cooperative, Dagoberto Rodríguez Adames, former Senator of Independence, as well as Francisco Jiménez, former Senator of Bahoruco on behalf of Senator Melania Salvador.

The Agreement
President Luis Abinader signed with his Argentine counterpart, Alberto Fernández, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a series of agreements related to hydrocarbons, health, and grape production.

Monorail construction to start at the end of the month

Santiago, DR
On March 30, President Luis Abinader will kick off the construction of the fifteen kilometers of the monorail to face the problems of the transportation system in this city.

This was announced yesterday during a visit to this city by the minister of the Presidency, Lizandro Macarulla, who added that this work would have the capacity to transport 20,000 people per hour, some 200,000 per day.

The official specified that the government plans to construct the monorail and other works for the road system would allow solving this acute problem in three years.

Macarrulla visited the mayor of Santiago, Abel Martínez, to strengthen the policy as a team to find solutions to such vital problems for the development of Santiago, including transportation.

The minister indicated that with the current problems, people lose up to two hours to move from rural and suburban areas, time that can then be devoted to studying, productive work, and sharing with their families.

“It is a futuristic solution to the problem of transportation in the city. It will be a safe, hygienic, fast, and economical transport that will benefit the population,” he said. Macarrulla informed that the monorail would impact the sectors of Cienfuegos, Espaillat, Villa Liberación, Cuesta Colorada, Gurabito, Nibaje, Pekín, and the Historical Center, where it will connect with the cable car that is being built.

Members of the band Coldplay visit Parque Ecológico de Nigua

The British Ambassador, Mockbul Ali, in collaboration with the Minister of the Environment, Orlando Jorge Mera, received Chris Martin and Will Champion of the band Coldplay in the Ecological Park of Nigua. The Minister of Culture, Milagros Germán, was also part of this event which they shared with other guests, including environmentalists and young Dominican musicians.

Martin and Champion took the opportunity to do a day of mangrove reforestation during a small reception, where the members of the group exchanged ideas with the guests about the activities, projects, and programs they carry out.

The meeting is part of the activities prior to the concert that the legendary band will perform on the night of Tuesday 22 at the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium in production of SD Concerts, being the first carbon-neutral concert to be held in the country, where they have requested for the event the use of renewable energies, among other measures.

As part of the reforestation strategy of the Ministry of the Environment, which has as its central axis to increase resilience to climate change, the mangrove is one of the trees that captures the largest amount of carbon. It also hosts marine ecosystems, protecting them from rising seas.

About the Mangroves

They are an ecosystem of forests and wetlands made up of trees and shrubs that grow in brackish and saline water along tropical and subtropical coasts. They are vital to protecting coastal communities and can sequester up to five times more carbon dioxide than rainforests.

CEO of Viva: “Flight to Punta Cana boosts tourism throughout the region”

The Colombian airline Viva made history with its recent landing in the Dominican market, with the inauguration of its flights between Medellín and Punta Cana, a link in which it will operate four flights a week, and connections from Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, and Lima.

According to the CEO of Grupo Viva, Félix Antelo, the inauguration of this route to Punta Cana promotes tourism and economic development throughout the region.

He added: “To this inaugural flight is added the start of operations of our 14 domestic routes, which also begin operations this month and demonstrate the local and international reach of Viva, as well as its purpose to guarantee air inclusion and connectivity in the country and the continent. In that sense, our route network will continue to grow and facilitate more connection opportunities for all travelers with Colombia and the world, through our Hub in Medellín.”

For her part, Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia, said that “so far in 2022, we have received announcements of 19 new international routes, which is a reflection of the great moment that the reactivation of international tourism in our country is going through, thanks to the trust of airlines like Viva.”

Today the airline’s network of connections, thanks to the new international route and its 14 new routes in Colombia, reaches 44 domestic and 12 international routes, highlighting 23 beach destinations, through which the Company enhances its leadership as “Los Reyes de las Playas” promoting sustainable tourism and the economic reactivation of destinations highly demanded by its travelers, allowing them to fly with the “Super Low Cost” model, in which they pay only for what they need and mobilize with the best punctuality standards in the country.

The new route plans to transport more than 50,000 passengers during its first year of operations while enabling a reduction in market fares of up to 30%, known as the “Living Effect.”

Wamos Air recovers its flights to the Caribbean, with more frequencies to Punta Cana

 Nine Airbus A330s will be added to their fleet.

Wamos Air looks optimistically to the future. After showing a commendable ability to adapt during the 24 months of the pandemic, the airline is setting an ambitious short-term renovation plan.

In that sense, Enrique Saiz, general director of the airline, explained that “the company’s short-term plans in the Caribbean is to make several weekly frequencies to Punta Cana and Cancun, and the rest of the operation will consist of cargo and wet lease.”

The executive also revealed that “we are exploring giving continuity to the cargo business in the future as a form of diversification.”

He pointed out that the cargo part has been relevant in recent months, representing 50% of our activity.

“I am clear that we have managed to get through this very hard crisis thanks to the enormous effort and dedication of each of the people who make up this great family that is Wamos Air. This valuable thing is what differentiates us from the rest,” he added.

He also indicated that “in a month we will have nine Airbus A330s“. “The idea is to incorporate two more throughout 2023,” so it would reach the figure of 11 aircraft of that model next year, according to Preferente.com.

Saiz advanced that “our goal is to reach the size we had before the pandemic by 2024.” In this exercise, it plans to have a fleet composed of 13 aircraft, a priori all of the A330.

Foundation offers mountain retreat for entire family

San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic.- In order to analyze the impact that mountain populations have on the development of local communities, the lives of its inhabitants and the contribution they make to the country, the Fundación Ciencia y Arte presents the fourth edition of the Meeting of Mountain Populations, to be held in the municipality of Los Cacaos, San Cristóbal province.

Around 10,000 people are expected to visit the event, which will take place from March 23 to 27.

Said Jacqueline Boin, president of the Science and Art Foundation, and José Serulle Ramia, National Coordinator of the event and former founding president of the entity, told El Dia.

Serulle Ramia explained that given the number of people who will be involved, they have set up between 100 and 86 family rooms for visitors, along with 25 rooms in the four small hotels in the Los Cacaos community.

In the same way, camping areas have been provided.

Paola Rainieri describes tourism recovery as “extraordinary”

“In 2022 the arrival of visitors has been higher than in years prior to covid”

 She said efforts between the public and private sectors are continuing.

Paola Rainieri, senior vice president of Public Relations, Communications, and Marketing of the Puntacana Group, highlighted how tourism has recovered in the country after the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

She said that despite the international context, the recovery of tourism in the country has been extraordinary, highlighting that so far in 2022, the arrival of visitors has been higher than in the same period of years before the pandemic.

“The truth is that the results can be seen in the numbers presented monthly by the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur), which compared to 2018 and 2019, which were the best years, the arrival of tourists is in full recovery in the DR,” Rainieri said.

Concerning the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, the businesswoman indicated that the Dominican Republic could have in 2022 a 10% drop in tourist arrivals due to the conflict, “we are making joint efforts between the public and private sectors to attract visitors from other destinations.”

Rainieri spoke after giving a conference on the importance of women’s work in the development of the national tourism industry, given at the Institute of Technical Professional Training (Infotep).

Dominican leader off to Costa Rica for summit

Santo Domingo.- President Luis Abinader will travel Monday morning to San José, Costa Rica, to participate in the third Summit of the Alliance for Development in Democracy.

The Presidency reported in a statement that the president’s departure is scheduled for 7:00 in the morning on a private flight, from the San Isidro Air Base and he will return by it around 10:00 at night.

“The Summit of Presidents for Development in Democracy will have a single day, this Monday, and it will address political, economic, business and other regional interest issues,” the note indicates.

The presidents of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen; from Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado Quezada and from the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, make up the summit.

US$500M Metro line to benefit a million commuters

Santo Domingo.- The modernity of the collective transport system points towards Los Alcarrizos with the construction of Line 2-C of the Santo Domingo Metro, which according to the authorities, will benefit one million commuters who reside in populous neighborhoods and residential areas of the municipality Santo Domingo Oeste and part of the National District.

It is one of the top works of the government headed by President Luis Abinader, which also includes the Los Alcarrizos Cable Car and the Cibao bus terminal, all converging on the “Multimodal” at kilometer 15 of the Duarte Highway.

The Metro, expected to be completed next year at a cost of more than 500 million dollars, and which would generate more than 2,500 direct jobs, is part of the original project for the system designed during the governments of former President Leonel Fernández, but redesigned by the current authorities.

Government freezes prices of all fuels

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Mipymes (MICM) announced today that the price of fuels would remain unchanged for the week of March 19 to 25.

In this regard, Premium Gasoline will remain at RD$293.60, and Regular Gasoline will remain at RD$274.50.

Meanwhile, Regular Gasoil will continue at RD$221.60, and Optimum Gasoil will remain at RD$241.10 per gallon.

Likewise, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) remains at RD$147.60 per gallon, and Natural Gas maintains its price at RD$28.97 per m3.

Others
Avtur will be sold at RD$249.54 and Kerosene at RD$284.88;

Fuel Oil will also increase to RD$192.11 per gallon and Fuel Oil 1% to be sold at RD$211.77.

IATA highlights tourist boom in Dominican Republic: “It progresses as if it were under normal conditions”

Peter Cerdá, Regional Vice President for the Americas of the International Air Transport Association ( IATA ), explained that Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica are markets that have recovered “because even today no type of antigen test or PCR is required, or show if they are vaccinated or not. They are operating as if they were under normal conditions, allowing for a much faster recovery.

“There are markets that are advancing much faster, that are going to reach the goal that they had in 2019 before 2023 or 2024, but it has depended a lot on how the markets have been reopening,” he added.

In addition, he said that “however, the situation varies by country, since in 2021 Mexico recovered international traffic, while the national one even exceeded that of 2019.”

He indicated that it is a projection since there are still countries that have their borders closed, others that maintain sanitary protocols that slow down the situation, and the effects that the conflict in Russia and Ukraine may have for the sector are still unknown, as well as the cost of the fuels.

“As for profits, they expect that from 2024, airlines will recover the international traffic they had in 2019, while they calculate that by mid-2023 global domestic traffic could be recovered,” he added.

Cerdá, who offered the details when participating in the Aviation Day Forum in Ecuador, assured that despite everything, the Latin American region is, at the moment, “the best located, compared to Europe, Asia, and Africa, where they are still suffering the pandemic or other factors that are not allowing a recovery.

Humpback whales travel up to 6,000 kilometers in search of a mate

Scientists from Hawaii’s Whale Trust Maui found that humpback whales may be much more mobile during their breeding season than previously thought, with some traveling up to 6,000 kilometers in search of mates.

Humpback whales, whose scientific name is Megaptera novaeangliae, are found in all major oceans.

Those in the North Pacific typically spend summers feeding in Alaska and Canada before migrating south in the winter to waters near Mexico and Hawaii to breed.

Scientists had assumed that the whales chose Mexico or Hawaii as their breeding grounds. However, some evidence suggests that the two groups may mix, such as the songs of this cetacean species.

Specialist James Darling of Whale Trust Maui in Hawaii and colleagues studied the Happywhale photo database of more than 26,000 individual humpback whales in the North Pacific taken by professional and amateur photographers since 1977.

Details
This was possible because the whales have distinctive skin pigment markings on the underside of the tail that allow them to be accurately identified.

Using the software, the researchers recognized two whales photographed in both Hawaii and Mexico during the same winter breeding seasons.

One male had traveled 4,545 kilometers in 53 days, leaving a group off Olowalu on the Hawaiian island of Maui to join a group of three whales off Isla Clarion in Mexico’s Revillagigedo archipelago in 2006.

A second whale, probably also a male, had traveled 5,944 kilometers from south of Zihuatanejo in Mexico to the waters of the ʻAuʻau Channel off Maui, where it was sighted 49 days later in the winter of 2018. She was one of seven whales chasing a single female as a challenger to her primary mate.

“Our first reaction was, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!” Darling told New Scientist. But distances that seem monumental to humans may not be significant to whales.

“They could be traveling through the ocean as if it were their own backyard,” he explained. “This really changes the way we think about whales.”

In the summer months, observers had spotted these two animals in the northern feeding grounds off the coasts of Canada and Alaska.

More
While the matching photos in the study showed males, females may also be making these long journeys, Darling considered.

“If the males were following the females, it would make more sense than them swimming alone for 40 days without the females during the breeding season,” he opined.

Darling said that whales typically travel at cruising speeds of about 4 kilometers per hour. Even if these whales had been photographed exactly on their departure and arrival dates, calculations suggest they were swimming faster than this.

The findings indicate that there are not distinct populations of whales in the northeastern Pacific, but several overlapping groups, Darling concluded.

If this is the case, it could raise important questions about the conservation status of humpback whales.

“The results also call into question the rules about the conservation status of whales,” the researcher said. For example, since the 1990s, whales that hibernate in Mexico have been considered endangered, while those that hibernate around Hawaii are labeled as “not at risk.”

The study comes shortly after scientists combined satellite tracking data from 845 whales to create the world’s first whale migration map.

Sandra Bullock and Daniel Radcliffe, fascinated with Dominican Republic

Famed actors Sandra Bullock and Daniel Radcliffe spoke highly of the Dominican Republic and said they restored their faith in humanity with the treatment of Dominicans.

“Bullock and Radcliffe were delighted with our country and its people,” said Hector Anibal, with whom the “Harry Potter” star said he enjoyed working.

Radcliffe said in an interview for Despierta America that “it’s incredible to be in that country.”

Sandra and Daniel talked about how the cast and crew were holed up in a hotel in Samana and Casa de Campo along with the hotel staff.

“It wasn’t just our crew,” Sandra assured. “All the hotels had been shut down because of the pandemic, and we took everyone to work and said to those workers, ‘Please help us keep everyone safe because you’re in our bubble now.”

“It was a really beautiful community. My faith in humanity and kindness was restored because there was so much openness, love and support,” the actress added. “And they take care of us so we can take care of them,” reviews Hola magazine.

The Lost City had its world premiere at South by Southwest (SXSW) on March 12, 2022, and will be released in theaters in the United States on March 25, 2022.

The film tells the story of a writer (Bullock) who becomes involved in an attempted kidnapping on a promotional tour for one of her books.

Dominican Republic airline takes off with US$2.1B

Santo Domingo.- The new airline Arajet, of mixed capital: Dominican and foreign, plans to allocate around 2,100 million dollars in the purchase of 20 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, an amount that could be increased to 4,200 million dollars to acquire other 20 and complete an order for 40 new aircraft.

For the acquisition of the planes, the company relies on two investment firms: Griffin Capital Management and Bain Capital, foreign companies that would be investing up to 75% of the resources so that the new air transport company takes flight.

This was announced by Arajet’s communications vice president, Manuel Luna, who explained that Bain Capital is one of the world’s largest asset managers and Griffin is an investment fund specializing in aeronautics.

“There are five new aircraft coming in between now and June. And then, starting in February 2023, 15 more will be delivered. After those 15 (aircraft) it is optional for the company to deliver 20 more to reach up to 40 aircraft.”

US Embassy readies for visa rush in Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo.- The decision of the United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic to resume appointments for B1/B2 tourist visas in a limited way has generated an increase in appointment requests in the General Directorate of Passports in recent days.

The institution has observed that the request for appointments to obtain this document has increased almost twice as much as scheduled between January and February, so they took the measure of reducing the number of people to receive.

According to the information provided by Passports, this week they have received about 400 appointments per day at the headquarters. Previously they only programmed 200.

People who have come to this institution not only do so for a passport application for the first time, they also attend for renewal or simply to get advice on any situation of doubt they may have

English to be taught as a second language in public schools

Santo Domingo, DR
President Luis Abinader led the presentation of the program for learning English as a second language in public sector educational centers, which will be implemented as of Thursday. The program “Inglés para una Vida Mejor” (English for a Better Life) will begin to be taught in a “pilot” manner in ten educational centers located in the five regional axes of the Ministry of Education.

“The greatest strength we can give them is to put them on a par with other young people who have had access to a bilingual education, because learning to speak English is no longer an option, it is a necessity that makes us more competitive in an increasingly demanding society,” said the President when he delivered the keynote address at the ceremony held in the Las Cariátides hall of the National Palace.

The program was divided into two stages that will seek to implement English from the basic levels. In contrast, the other seeks to immediately impact students in the fifth and sixth grades of secondary school.

This stage is projected to impact some 74,000 students throughout the country by the end of the 2022-2023 school year in Extended School Day centers, taught eight hours a week in the afternoon. Abinader, accompanied by the Minister of Education, Roberto Fulcar, was enthusiastic when he pointed out that education is the most significant investment a country can make.

New airline users will have 30% and 60% lower rates

Las Americas Airport, DR

The new Arajet airline users will have greater connectivity with other destinations and access lower airfares of 30 and 60 percent of market prices, President Luis Abinader said yesterday after leading the ceremonial act of opening of operations of that airline.

The head of state stressed that today a dream has come true. The country has a national flag airline with a mixed investment that expands the possibilities for passengers of connectivity with other important destinations.

“There is no doubt that the community of Dominican men and women living abroad, whom this government always has in mind, will greatly benefit from air fares at very low prices,” Abinader said. This was confirmed by the president of the Board of Directors of the new airline, Víctor Méndez Pacheco.

Also participating were the Minister of Tourism, David Collado; the president of the Civil Aviation Board, José Marte Piantini; the directors of the Airport Department, Víctor Pichardo; of Customs, Eduardo Sanz Lovaton; Specialized Corps of Airport Security and Civil Aviation, Major General Carlos Febrillet Rodríguez, and Major General Leonel Muñoz Noboa, of the Air Force, among others.