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Posts filed under 'Tourism'

12/8/2007

Source: The Dominican Today

Santo Domingo.- NH Hoteles and Caja Duero, the main movers behind the east coast Cap Cana luxury tourism and residential project, presented "Sotogrande at Cap Cana", a new and exclusive project, strategically located by the Las Iguanas golf course, which carries the Jack Nicklaus signature and design, and with 500 meters of private coastline.Total investment in the project and its shares totals US$80 million and total investment in construction amounts to US$160 million."Sotogrande at Cap Cana" will provide hotel accommodation of the highest quality, with exclusive amenities and multiple residential options, with a built-up area of approximately 124,000 square meters. The residential and hotel development will be built in three phases, in partnership between three companies: Cap Cana, Grupo NH Hoteles and Caja Duero.The launch was announced at a press conference at Punta Espada Golf Club at the exclusive Cap Cana project, with the attendance of main executives from the companies involved.

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Eco-tourism: the edge of nowhere

Domican-Today

11/24/2007

Source: The Dominican Today

PEDERNALES.- "Where are you going at this hour? You should be asleep."It's six a.m. on a Saturday in Pedernales, a quiet, dusty town of 18,000 on the southwest coast of the Dominican Republic that joins Haiti via a gated footbridge over a chalky river. Sunrise is still another hour away, and the stars are clear and diamond-hard in a sky just beginning to lighten. A woman watches me from the shadows beyond the glow of an orange streetlamp, wrapped in a heavy printed dress, one hand on her hip, the other steadying the tightly packed bundle of clothing balanced on her head. She has a point, I think ? it's been a long time since I last saw this side of the dawn, and my eyes are still bleary with sleep ? but we both have our reasons. I'm going to Cabo Rojo, I tell her, and later to the famous Bahia de Las Aguilas ? the Bay of Eagles. She nods and gives a small hum of approval before moving silently off into the darkness. Former Peace Corps volunteer and ornithologist Kate Wallace is waiting for me in the central park by an SUV loaded with five-gallon bottles of water and camping equipment. Wallace will be spending the night on the beach along with thirty youth from Pedernales, Jimani, and Villa Jaragua and their Peace Corps leaders after a day of exploration, wilderness education and cleanup. The weekend-long event is a collaborative effort on the part of several non-governmental organizations and non-profit community groups aimed at teaching the young Dominicans to appreciate and protect this lush, diverse frontier at a time when their country's development relies heavily on tourism, but often at a higher social and environmental cost than the individual communities can bear. Pedernales is a place out of time ? a woman can walk alone in the dark, the streets are swept clean of trash, no car horns interrupt the cool, pre-dawn peace. Instead, roosters announce the hour as the youth begin to arrive, dragging their rolled sleeping bags and backpacks, silent with exhaustion until they see their friends and break off into small chattering groups on the park benches and concrete flower beds. Wallace, a petite, lively woman in her 60s, springs into action, distributing plastic cards with illustrations of indigenous wetland birds on them. The three Peace Corps volunteers who co-organized the event take attendance and compare notes on sleeping and eating arrangements. The youth are divided up into four groups and asked to introduce themselves to someone from another city; together they come up with group names like Old Guagua and We Don't Even Have Potatoes, and the cheer that will later echo back and forth between them: "Gimme, gimme!" "Take it, take it!" The sun is visible above the rooftops as we pile gear and people into the backs of two pickup trucks. Also with us are two Colombian volunteers from the Organization of American States, a Chilean couple who have recently arrived in Pedernales to work with Plan, an organization building Dominican-Haitian solidarity on the border, and interpreters from the Pedernales Association of Nature Guides (Aguinape). Our knees are driven into our chins as we bounce over ruts in the road out of town. "Gimme, gimme!" shouts a young man perched on the tailgate. "Take it, take it!" comes the reply from the other truck, then laughter. The mountains of the Sierra de Bahoruco stretch endlessly west to east, parallel with the highway, looking like the crumpled skin of an ancient serpent in the sharp relief of the morning light. Hundreds of yellow and white butterflies float up from the prickly underbrush alongside the road. By midday, the mountains will be little more than shadows crowned with the heavy rain clouds that have allowed a wetland to flourish in this most improbable of landscapes, where the desert falls suddenly into the Caribbean Sea. People would pay big money for this view, and the privilege of swimming in some of the cleanest, clearest, warmest waters in the world. Hotel developers are counting on it, and to an extent so are the people of the southwest, one of the poorest regions in the country. But organizations like Aguinape are worried that developing conventional tourism infrastructure could have disastrous consequences for this rare and fragile ecosystem. 28 species of indigenous birds can be found in the wetlands of Cabo Rojo. The surrounding desert is home to 12 species of iguana. Endangered sea turtles come to lay their eggs on the beaches of Cabo Rojo and the Bahia de Las Aguilas, and pelicans roost in the petrified coral cliffs along the coast. With large numbers of tourists come spinoff revenues for the host community, but also pollution, drugs, prostitution, and crime. Aguinape believes there is another way to develop Pedernales without destroying it, a way that will give the locals more control over the fate of their town and the amazing wilderness that envelopes it. It starts with the shell of an interpretive center set back from the water's edge at Cabo Rojo beach, our second stop of the morning after hearing a talk by Kate Wallace beside a mangrove pond. Crabs scuttle across the sand, distracting the students as an Aguinape interpreter tells them about the organization's vision for the center. Ideally, tourists will be able to drive or take motoconchos here from Pedernales, take a swim, talk to interpreters about the geography and history of the region, and get information on guided tours and sightseeing opportunities offered in the area's two massive national parks, Sierra de Bahoruco to the north and Jaragua to the south. This kind of tourism development is called eco-tourism, and it will necessitate the hiring and training of guides and park wardens, the repairing of roads, the construction of new hotels and restaurants in the town itself, and the expansion of the existing transportation infrastructure, all of which will mean Pedernales could prosper from its natural environment while ensuring its protection for future generations ? like the youth now examining seashells and wading at the water's edge. A breakfast of cheese and crackers and juice is served in the back of one of the trucks, and then it's time to go. The sun is climbing high now, and wisps of cloud are beginning to slide down the mountain slopes. Our next stop is the village of Las Cuevas de Jaragua, where we will take lanchas (motorboats) to the Bahia and experience a side of the Dominican Republic few have seen. Battle lines have been drawn between those who would like to keep it that way and those who would have it opened to the world, but the human future of Pedernales depends on a balance between the two.

Author: Alexandra Pope

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Dominican capital expecting 70,000 cruise ship passengers

Domican-Today

11/17/2007

Source: The Dominican Today

Santo Domingo.- The capital is expecting to host at least 70,000 tourists this cruise ship season, which was launched at Santo Domingo port yesterday with the arrival of the Braemar with 1,800 passengers on board.

Luis Molina, executive director of the Sans Souci Group, said that they were making great efforts, together with the Dominican Ports Authority, the Port Special Security Corps and the Navy, to provide the greatest possible protection for visitors to the city.

The cruise season lasts until April 2008, said Molina. Weather conditions affecting the country and the port area in particular postponed the start of this year's season, which was scheduled to start on October 31.

"The Santo Domingo Port operator, despite the adversity caused by the recent heavy rains, has nevertheless worked to ensure that the 2007-2008 cruise season will be beneficial for the city of Santo Domingo", he said.

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Noel: Dominican tourist destinations escape the worst

Domican-Today

11/3/2007

Source: The Dominican Today

Santo Domingo.- The major tourist destinations in the Dominican Republic did not suffer damage following the passage of the tropical storm Noel, which allows hotels and resorts to operate in a normal way, according to the Dominican Ministry of Tourism (Sectur).

Minister of Tourism Felix Jimenez specified that in spite of the damages caused by Noel at the national level, tourist activities continue operating normally, since hotels and resorts did not suffer any damages in their infrastructure or accessibility.

Since everything is back to normal in the tourist areas, this coming weekend the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival is taking place as planned in Cabarete, Puerto Plata.

According to a dispatch by the Press Department of Sectur, no damage has been reported in hotels and resorts of Bavaro, Bayahibe, La Romana, Puerto Plata, Las Terrenas, Samana, Cabarete, Sosua, Puerto Plata, Constanza and Jarabacoa.

International flights had resumed by Monday afternoon, which allowed the hotel network to welcome guests according to schedule.

The National Weather Service indicated that the rainfall in the provinces of La Romana, La Altagracia and Samana were not considerable during the passage of Noel, which explains why these areas were not under flood alert.

Gloria Cevallos, Director of Meteorology indicated that the rainfall in these regions does not represent any danger, as it remains at a normal level.

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Philippines tourism bets on deadly volcanoes

Domican-Today

10/14/2007

Source: The Dominican Today

Manila.? Rickety old jeeps barrel through a dry northern Philippines riverbed, setting off a dust storm that coats the visitors bouncing around on the back seat.

The landscape around Mount Pinatubo is evolving again 16 years after a gigantic volcanic eruption killed more than 1,500 people and sent a cloud of ash into the atmosphere cooling world temperatures for years.

The fine sand deposited by the 1991 eruption over the surrounding countryside is being kicked up by sport utilities driven by adventure tourists coming to swim or ride kayaks on Pinatubo's large, mildly acidic crater lake.

"We have to appreciate the fact that our country has many volcanoes," said Perla de los Reyes of the government's volcanology and seismology institute. "They are beautiful attractions."

Of the 300 volcanos scattered throughout this Southeast Asian archipelago, 22 are active while 27 are classified as "potentially active".

Despite the danger the government is looking at ways of turning these dormant monsters into money-spinning tourist drawcards.

"People are fascinated by the phenomenon of volcanic eruptions," said Francois Dominique de Larouziere, scientific director of Vulcania, a volcano park that has drawn some 2.45 million paying visitors a year since its opening in 2002 on an extinct volcano in the remote Auvergne region of central France.

By contrast, total annual tourist arrivals in the Philippines have never passed the three million mark.

De los Reyes said people go out of their way to see the impact of eruptions. During last year's deadly eruptions of the Mayon volcano 340 kilometres (210 miles) southeast of Manila tourists flocked to the area to catch a glimpse of the eruptions

Mayon, with a perfect cone reminiscent of Japan's Mount Fuji, rises 2,420 metres (7,502 feet) above emerald rice fields near the city of Legaspi.

A deadly eruption in 1814 buried some 1,200 people alive in the village of Cagsawa. All that remains today is the church belfry. "Volcanos show how dynamic or dangerous they can be, and people appreciate it," de los Reyes said, adding that the unique shapes of land formations caused by volcanic eruptions themselves also draw people in.

In addition "geothermal lesions" including hot springs, fumeroles and fuming vents caused by melting rock could also serve as "interactive" attractions that generate income from spas or campsites.

Pinatubo and Taal, a volcano in Manila's southern suburbs that sits on a large lake, is attracting major developers who have filled the surrounding ridges with vacation homes and fancy restaurants.

But Iraya, Kanlaon, Bulusan, Banahaw, Hibok-Hibok, Isarog and Kalatungan, to name a few, are physically remote and inaccessible. Apo, the country's highest peak and a potentially active volcano on the southern island of Mindanao, is visited mainly by mountain climbers who hike up the 2,938-metre (9,639-foot) summit and back over three or more days.

"Volcanoes do not erupt every day," said Teresa Mundita Lim, head of the government's protected areas and wildlife bureau, one of the agencies involved in the project. Efforts to bring in tourist dollars must not result in the introduction of "invasive species," disturb native wildlife, or result in the destruction or collection of plant and animal species, Lim said.

The government vetoed a planned spa resort near the Taal crater in July and ordered the South Korean developer to restore excavated areas at its own expense, saying the project ran afoul of environmental restrictions.

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Dominican Republic, the perfect golf destination

Domican-Today

10/13/2007

Source: The Dominican Today

Santo Domingo.? Dominican Republic, with 23 courses golf courses and more under construction, has become the best golf destination in the Caribbean. Only four golf courses in the area made Golf Digest magazine's list of "100 Best Golf Courses Outside the U.S." in 2005, and two are the country.

Teeth of the Dog at the Casa de Campo resort is widely considered the best course in the Caribbean and was ranked 17th on the magazine's list. It is challenging and windy, says Peter Finch, a senior editor at Golf Digest.

He adds that two other Pete Dye-designed courses at the resort ?the Links and the unfortunately named Dye Fore? are first-rate as well. The Dominican Republic is also home to Playa Dorada, part of the Wyndham resort in Puerto Plata.

Nearby, the Cap Cana development's Punta Espada course, designed by Jack Nicklaus near a dramatic coastline, is a new competitor. Two other Nicklaus-designed courses are planned at the site.

Jamaica has long been a popular golf spot, but the opening of the White Witch at the Ritz-Carlton in the past decade "really put the island on the golf map," Finch says.

Barbados is best known for its classic course, Royal Westmoreland. It was the only significant course there until the opening of three courses at Sandy Lane resort: the Green Monkey, the Old Nine and the Tom Fazio-designed Country Club Course. The resort is where Tiger Woods had his wedding.

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JetBlue adds another Dominican Republic destination

Domican-Today

10/13/2007

Source: The Dominican Today

Santo Domingo.? JetBlue Airways, famed for its low-cost but full-service flights, announced it is adding another Dominican Republic destination, with new New York-Puerto Plata flights commencing on Jan. 10, 2008.

JetBlue already flies to Santiago and Santo Domingo. Fares on the Puerto Plata flights will start at $109 one-way; the flights will provide more access to the Dominican Republic's north coast resorts.

The airline also announced that it will begin flying to the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Maarten beginning on Jan. 17, 2008.

The daily flights from New York to Princess Juliana Airport also will provide new access to the French side of the island, St. Martin. Fares will start at $159 each way.

Other JetBlue destinations in the Caribbean include Aruba; Bermuda; Cancun; Nassau, Bahamas; and Aguadilla, Ponce and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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Dominican Republic flaunts its beauty at Poland Tourism Fair

Domican-Today

10/2/2007

Source: The Dominican Today

WARSAW.- During three days Poland's capital become a center of world tourism, bosting the 15th International Travel Show TT Warsaw Tour & Travel. The widely known and prestigious event is among Central and Eastern Europe's biggest and most important.

The trade fair presents the tourism offer of countries and regions throughout the world and is oriented toward the sector and corporate customers as well as individuals.

Visitors have the opportunity to directly contact representatives of the tourist services industry and even discover lesser-known countries and destinations and closely experiencing some of their national cuisine, music and culture.

Every edition of the fair -held this year from September 20 to 22- is accompanied by dozens of performances and business meetings such a conferences, workshops, seminars and spectacular presentations.

Dominican Republic was represented by Samanda Fersobe, director of the Dominican Republic Tourism Office for Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands.

The Dominican stand at the fair stood out with its caribbean colors, a dream-like wallpaper of white sand beach, coconut palms and turquoise water, to the funky beat of non-stop merengues or bachatas. Visitors were treated to some exclusive, profesionally-prepared promotional materials and could chat with the Dominican representative.

Polish vacationers increasingly travel to that popular exotic Caribbean country, with the all inclusive package the best selling holiday option and has a relatively lower price than most of the popular European destinations.

Author: Martin Wesoly. Europe correspondent

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Aggregates mine is "fatal" for tourism, the environment, Samana mayor says

Domican-Today

10/2/2007

Source: The Dominican Today

SAMANA. - The mayor, a deputy and the parish priest of the community Sanchez said if a foreign company is allowed to extract construction aggregates to be shipped abroad, it would be "fatal" for tourism and the environment.

Mayor Johnny Carrasco and deputy Demetrio Vicente said that company's executives visited them seeking to obtain a no-objection letter to obtain the operating permit. Carrasco said he refused to issue it operations because it would be fatal for the province, and especially for Sanchez's inhabitants.

The mayor said the Environment Ministry must determine the implications to the zone's environment and natural resources, before authorizing the works to extract limestone. "That company has visited me in two occasions to ask for a letter of no-objection, which I denied because it would affect the entrance to the town, since a large important strip for the promotion of tourism would be removed, which I understand would be fatal for the town of Saman?

The municipal said no one from the Environment Ministry has spoken with him on the project, although one from the Mining Directorate did. "Given the magnitude and what the project implies, we have been careful on that, although I could have granted the authorization without the need of approval by the City Council."

Vicente said the operations to extract construction aggregates in the Sanchez and Saman?rea would greatly affect the zone's ecotourism.

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To compete Dominican tourism needs more security, industry expert says

Domican-Today

10/2/2007

Source: The Dominican Today

SANTO DOMINGO. - The Dominican tourism has been marred by weaknesses, including lack of safety for the tourist, from which the country risks losing its competitiveness as a preferred Caribbean destination. "Nowadays fears of insecurity are greater than ever from the difficulties that have appeared in different regions of the world," said ex Tourism minister Ellis Perez.

Other unfavorable factors are the high taxes and the United States Government passport requirement for its citizens to travel. He said people look for places to spend safe vacations where they have nothing to fear, where they feel calm, where their physical security isn't threatened.

Perez urged Dominicans to develop competitiveness to keep Dominican Republic a place where tourists aren't frightened. He said the Caribbean is currently in a critical time as statistics show that it's one of the declining tourism destinations from the less than expected tourist arrivals. "In such a competitive world as today's, especially in the tourism area, one does not compete by area or region, competition is in the global scope instead."

The tourism industry generates 0.8 direct jobs per hotel room, according to the National Hotels and Restaurants Association (Asonahores). The resorts in Bavaro, one of the country's major tourism regions, generate 16,900 jobs, whereas more than 2,500 people work in Cabarete (north), one of the country's fastest-growing areas.

According to the figures from official and private entities, 2006 was a good for the industry, which showed a continuous growth. According to the Central Bank in the first seven months this year the arrival of nonresident foreigners by air grew 0.03 percent compared with the same last year period.

Investments in tourism projects are expected to grow an annual average of 4% until 2015, until reaching US$2.34 billion, which would then represent 25.2% of the economy's total investments.

Tourism is expected to be a US$15.7 billion industry in 2015, with a 4.2% average annual growth starting this year.

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