DR1 Travel News - 14 March 2017

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
8,215
37
48
www.
Get to know Barahona 
Anex Tour begins selling Dominican vacations
Tour operators announce more flights from Europe
In June, more direct flights to Paris



Get to know Barahona
The Barahona Tourism Cluster presents its First Discover Barahona Fair, an event that brings together tourism and farm production for sustainable development in the region. The event is an excellent opportunity to meet the leading farming, tourism, and commerce companies in Barahona.

It will take place 24-26 March 2017 at the Universidad Católica de Barahona (UCATEBA) located at Calle Primera, Sector Juan Pablo Duarte, Villa Central in Barahona city. 

Polibio Schiffino, vice president of the Barahona Tourism Cluster, highlights how the event is an opportunity to present in one place all the resources of the region and to promote multi-destination tourism in the southwest of the country. The exhibition is an opportunity for local vendors to reach out to buyers in other parts of the country, while at the same time presenting the touristic offering of the area. 

In making the announcement of the event, the governor of Barahona Pedro Peña Rubio, said that the multi-sectorial fair will represent the southwestern region and serve as a space where commerce, farming, tourism, arts and crafts, folklore and culture can all be represented. He said the ultimate goal is for the event is to project the province of Barahona as an economic hub for the region. 


Tour operators announce more flights from Europe
Fausto Fernández, deputy minister of Tourism, and Petra Cruz, director of the Dominican Republic Tourism Office in Germany, announced during the ITB Berlin, that German travel companies are adding more flights from several cities in Germany to Dominican destinations. ITB Berlin took place 8-12 March 2017 in Berlin, Germany. 

This includes TUI, the leading tour operator, announcing it will be increasing its operations to the DR by 40% this year. Thomas Cook announces it is expanding its programs by 18% in summer and 8% in winter. FTI, that operates in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, announced it will be bringing 15% more tourists this year. 

Fernandez also announced two more flights for DER Touristik clients. DER Touristik is the third largest seller of vacations for Germans. The new DER Touristik flights are weekly charters into El Catey International Airport in Samana from Frankfurt and another from Dusseldorf to Puerto Plata. They will be using airplanes with capacity for 268 passengers. 


Anex Tour begins selling Dominican vacations
During the ITB Berlin travel fair, the Turkish-Russian Anex Tour vacations operator announced three regularly scheduled flights for summer 2017 and five flights for winter 2017-2018 to the Dominican Republic. Anex Tour is presently among the top five leaders in the Russian tourism market. The company recently began targeting the German market with its own charter airline, Azur Air, stepping up competition in the leisure travel business.

The company operates Azur Air that will begin flying to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in April 2017, with three weekly direct flights from Dusseldorf and Berlin on Boeing 767-300 planes with capacity for 330 passengers, as announced by Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic Fausto Fernandez during the ITB Berlin travel fair. 

Azur Air flights will be Mondays and Wednesdays from Dusseldorf International Airport (DUS) and on Friday’s from Berlin Schonefeld International Airport (SXF). 

Anex Tour is working with 46 hotels and resorts located in Santo Domingo, La Romana, Bayahibe, Punta Cana, Playa Bávaro, Cap Cana and Uvero Alto. 

It has included the Dominican Republic in its initial summer 2017 program that also features holidays in Spain, Greece (Crete), Bulgaria, Croatia, and Cuba. 

Read more about this new company at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azur_Air_(Germany)
https://www.metrord.do/do/destacado/2017/03/09/anuncian-10-nuevos-vuelos-alemania-hacia-rd.html


In June, more direct flights to Paris
Starting in June 2017, Air Caraibes will fly every day from a Dominican airport to Paris’s Orly International Airport. In addition to four flights from Las Americas International Airport (SDQ) in Santo Domingo, the airline will soon be offering service to Paris from Punta Cana International (PUJ). 

Company representative in the Dominican Republic, Gustavo de Hostos of General Air Services, said the three flights from Punta Cana have been added in response to tour operator demand. He said that Punta Cana is becoming a regional hub for airline services to the Caribbean. He added that the airport receives 750 flights each week from 136 airports. And as of 2017, pre-clearance service will be offered by the US Customs & Immigration Services. 

As of June 2017, Air Caraibes flights to the Dominican Republic will include executive class -- Madras Class with 160 degree reclinable seats. The airline also offers economy class (Caraibe) and first class. 

Air Caraibes is the second leading airline in transporting French passengers. It uses a fleet of Airbus A330-300, Airbus A330-200 and Airbus A350-900 for its flights. 

Air Caraibes began flying from the French territories – Martinique, Guadaloupe and St. Martin to expand later to transatlantic flights. Since 2012, the airline covers the Santo Domingo to Paris-Orly route. 

The airline is represented in the Dominican Republic by General Air Services. 

Gustavo de Hostos, CEO of General Air Services, said the flight times make the flight attractive for Dominicans interested in visiting Paris and using the flight as entry to the European Union.