- Thread starter Robert
- Start date
Samana Airport - New Photos!
First, Urmeli, you have my permission to use my photos and I'm sure Robert won't object to a link to them.
A PROMISE MADE, A PROMISE KEPT
These pictures are proof positive of a promise kept. It was 18 years ago in 1988 that then-President Baleguer promised the people of Samana that they would have an international airport. On the strength of this promise a lot of people invested in this remote peninsula and waited telling themselves that maybe next year we will have our airport. My wife, Nicole, had purchased the property that was to become el Marinique two years earlier and this promise bolstered her's and other Samana investors belief that one day it would happen and Samana would blossom into the flower of the republica it is destined to be.
I've been here 10 years now and I can recall the excitement when our other "international" airport, Arroyo Barrill, was nearing completion only to share the bitter disappointment with the rest of Samana when we learned that it would never be our portal to the rest of the world. Then learning of the proposed airport at el Catey, located in a soggy former rice field and pasture land, many, me included, felt that this was just another boondoggle that would never come to pass. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to say my initial fears were misplaced and I stand corrected. Many of you know how vocal I've been supporting this venture but very few know the private doubts I've also harbored. And these pictures are testament to not only a promise kept, but that my faith in this beautiful country and it's people has not been in vain-at least this part of it.
Samana o Samana, this is still another step in sharing your beguiling beauty with the rest of the world.
A PROMISE MADE, A PROMISE KEPT
These pictures are proof positive of a promise kept. It was 18 years ago in 1988 that then-President Baleguer promised the people of Samana that they would have an international airport. On the strength of this promise a lot of people invested in this remote peninsula and waited telling themselves that maybe next year we will have our airport. My wife, Nicole, had purchased the property that was to become el Marinique two years earlier and this promise bolstered her's and other Samana investors belief that one day it would happen and Samana would blossom into the flower of the republica it is destined to be.
I've been here 10 years now and I can recall the excitement when our other "international" airport, Arroyo Barrill, was nearing completion only to share the bitter disappointment with the rest of Samana when we learned that it would never be our portal to the rest of the world. Then learning of the proposed airport at el Catey, located in a soggy former rice field and pasture land, many, me included, felt that this was just another boondoggle that would never come to pass. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to say my initial fears were misplaced and I stand corrected. Many of you know how vocal I've been supporting this venture but very few know the private doubts I've also harbored. And these pictures are testament to not only a promise kept, but that my faith in this beautiful country and it's people has not been in vain-at least this part of it.
Samana o Samana, this is still another step in sharing your beguiling beauty with the rest of the world.
If you are counting for the Island then it's for Hispanola and the number is seven...
can't forget Port-au-Prince Airport (PAP).
Gregg
Linking
While using the link to the thread will bring people to DR1 to view, a good idea, I sent BFC the link so another forum could view the new airport. But to direct hotlink using each pictures DR1 properties will incur bandwidth on DR1's servers...I would suggesy Andy saying you could use them, you would be better to save them and hot link the photo on a free hosting site, like photbucket or tiny pic.
It is Roberts server so I only offer that as a suggestion.
While using the link to the thread will bring people to DR1 to view, a good idea, I sent BFC the link so another forum could view the new airport. But to direct hotlink using each pictures DR1 properties will incur bandwidth on DR1's servers...I would suggesy Andy saying you could use them, you would be better to save them and hot link the photo on a free hosting site, like photbucket or tiny pic.
It is Roberts server so I only offer that as a suggestion.
Forgot about that one Santo. What is the airport code to La Isabela?
Back on topic...I look forward to hopefully someday fly into AZS from the NYC area. A lot of people are against this airport because they are afraid it will tarnish the virginity of the Samana peninsula. I am not one of those. I think this is good for the people. I know many folks that live in Samana and it is a hassle to fly into STI or SDQ to go there. We are talking 4 hours.
Back on topic...I look forward to hopefully someday fly into AZS from the NYC area. A lot of people are against this airport because they are afraid it will tarnish the virginity of the Samana peninsula. I am not one of those. I think this is good for the people. I know many folks that live in Samana and it is a hassle to fly into STI or SDQ to go there. We are talking 4 hours.
"I know many folks that live in Samana and it is a hassle to fly into STI or SDQ to go there. We are talking 4 hours."...or more as is usually the case.
It's not just us that live here that this affects, but tourist studies have confirmed that if a visitor has to travel more than 1 hour from his arrival airport, he probably WON'T. I can attest to this as I don't know how many reservations my hotel has lost when a potential visitor discovers that we are over 3 hours from the closest international airport. Multiply this by the number of hotels in Samana and you get an idea of the FINANCIAL implication of this problem. Acessibility has been the biggest deterent to a viable tourism-based economy for Samana. It has also DIRECTLY affected the financial quality of life enjoyed by the majority of Dominican locals as the peninsula is still basically poverty stricken. The new airport and it's dramatically increased flow of visitors will eventually eliminate much of this.
Now, the trick will be to protect as much of our peninsula from irresponsible development as possible.
It's not just us that live here that this affects, but tourist studies have confirmed that if a visitor has to travel more than 1 hour from his arrival airport, he probably WON'T. I can attest to this as I don't know how many reservations my hotel has lost when a potential visitor discovers that we are over 3 hours from the closest international airport. Multiply this by the number of hotels in Samana and you get an idea of the FINANCIAL implication of this problem. Acessibility has been the biggest deterent to a viable tourism-based economy for Samana. It has also DIRECTLY affected the financial quality of life enjoyed by the majority of Dominican locals as the peninsula is still basically poverty stricken. The new airport and it's dramatically increased flow of visitors will eventually eliminate much of this.
Now, the trick will be to protect as much of our peninsula from irresponsible development as possible.
Let see that list because I think there are more, even though they are not used as International:
1) Las Americas (SDQ)
2) Puerto Plata (POP)
3) Santiago (STI)
4) Punta Cana (PUJ)
5) La Romana (LRM)
6) Samana - El Catey (AZS)
What about:
7) Maria Montes - Barahona (BRX)
8) Joaquin Balager - Higuero (JBQ)
We have like 8 International Airport, which is amazing.
My girlfriend is from Ecuador, and they are bigger that us and only have 2 International airports..