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Daily News - 2 March 2000
Tourism up 18.5% in January
Minister of Tourism Felix Jiménez said that air arrivals to the DR in January were up 18.5% when compared to the same month last year. He said that some 237,540 tourists visited in January 2000, up from 200,485 in January 1999.
Jiménez also mentioned that travel was up from the following destinations in 1999 compared to 1998:
Germany (450,000 travelers in 1999), increased 16.3%
Canada, up 30.8%,
France and Italy, up 23%
US up 18.6%
Switzerland 2.2%
Argentina 2.3%
Sweden 78.7% (this market is just starting)
Punta Cana continues to be the fastest growing port of entry, increasing 37.4% in 1999 compared to 1998. This reflects the boom in hotel rooms in the area.
Arrivals using La Romana Airport grew 36.2%, also reflecting an increase in the number of hotel rooms in the area.
Traffic to Las Americas International Airport was up 8.38% and to the Puerto Plata International Airport was up 5.2%.
Codetel and Tricom don't like the idea of having competition?
Hoy newspaper reports that Codetel and Tricom have joined forces to sue two newcomers to the telecommunication market in the DR and the Instituto Dominicano de Telecomunicaciones (Indotel), reportedly for damages to their business interests. Jose Guillermo Sued, director of Indotel that regulates the telecommunications industry in the DR, confirmed there is an ongoing court case. The two newcomers are Centennial of Puerto Rico and France Telecom (http://www.francetelecom.com/vanglais/i/i1.html), both considerable competitors to the established firms. Centennial (http://www.centennialcom.com) enters the DR market after purchasing 70% of the shares of All America Cables and Radio and recently announced it would be investing 75 million dollars to gain market share. The company has announced plans to establish services that will improve communication between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
France Telecom has partnered with Guaroa Liranzo, one of the most powerful men of the Balaguer administration who has continued his influence in this administration. Liranzo already has the concession for Skytel, (beepers and cellulars). Reportedly, France Telecom services will be available in Santo Domingo within six to eight months.
Consumers that have seen quality of service drop considerably in recent years welcome the competition the two new telecommunication players should bring. Service has suffered at Codetel as the company seemingly is sacrificicing its reputation of excellence to maintain the high profitability levels of years prior to the Internet and telecommunications revolution.
DR1 webmaster lends Altavista a hand
The story of how Robert Woolford, webmaster of the DR1 Daily News Service, helped Altavista, the 25-million-hits-a-month search engine, was featured by www.zdnet.com, a leading online publication. To read about this strange occurrence, see http://www.zdnet.com/yil/content/depts/netbuzz/newsflash0301.html
Easy access for those headed to the airport
The Ministry of Public Works allowed yesterday for the first time regular traffic over the newly installed 500 meter floating bridge over the Ozama River. The bridge is the most southern of four and provides easy access over the Ozama River, especially for traffic headed to and coming in from the southern parts of Santo Domingo to Las Americas Airport and eastern beach destinations, such as Boca Chica, Juan Dolio, La Romana, Dominicus or Punta Cana. The bridge was built by Samuel Conde & Asociados and will be leased to the state for a year for RD$35 million. The state has an option to purchase the bridge after that period. The bridge will be closed from 10 to 11 am and from 1 to 3 pm to allow for ships to pass. Trucks, buses and horse-driven carts are banned from using the bridge. The bridge was built to permit the partial closing of the Duarte Bridge whose cabling needs to be replaced as part of a major bridge overhaul.
Tow trucks to pick up those badly parked
The Municipality of Santo Domingo warned that it has contracted the services of Gruas Felix, a tow truck company, to tow away cars that are badly parked. The Municipality will be placing signs indicating areas where double parking is not permitting. The director of Urban Transit of the Municipality, Deligne Ascención Burgos said that parking on both sides of city streets is contributing to worsen traffic congestion. Those affected will have to pay a RD$500 fine to recuperate their vehicle.
Promoters of violence towards DR could be banned from visiting
El Siglo newspaper reports that the Dominican government is studying banning from visiting the DR members of the Group Koudjay that has popularized a merengue that incites to violence against the DR. The promoter of the merengue, Benjamin Dupuy, would also be declared a persona non grata. Dupuy is the president of the Haitian Popular Party and director of Haiti Progress, a newspaper published in New York City and sold in Port au Prince. The Haitian Popular Party is said to be a strategic ally to the Lafamil Lavalas, of former president Jean Bertrand Aristide, who during his short term presidency expressed his resentment against the DR. Aristide is expected to be the next President of Haiti.
El Siglo newspaper interviewed Minister of Foreign Relations of Haiti Fritz Longchamp who said he did not feel that the merengue could affect the present harmonious relations among both countries.
Assassin of Dominican US resident sentenced in DR
Judge Jose Luis Taveras of the Moca Penal Chamber condemned in absence Carlos Daniel Grullón Castro to 30 years in prison and a RD$2 million indemnity. Carlos Daniel Grullón Castro was accused of the death of his former wife, who lived like himself in the US. Grullón Castro is required by the judicial authorities of the US for the assassination of Yolanda Camacho. Camacho died of several gun shot wounds on 26 October 1991 in New York City.
Grullón Castro is a fugitive of justice both in the DR and the US. Attorney General Pina Toribio said he would not be extradited because he has pending justice in the DR. The US has put a stop to a US$8.5 million donation conditioning it to the extradition of Grullón, whose whereabouts are unknown.
Molina Morillo to bring back Revista Ahora
Rafael Molina Morillo, former executive editor of the Listín Diario, announced the restarting of the Revista Ahora founded by him 39 years ago. He purchased the rights to relaunch the magazine from the Grupo Corripio. Molina Morillo had sold the magazine's rights to the publishing group in 1978, retiring to dedicate his efforts to other businesses and to being the Dominican Republic ambassador in Washington, D.C. During its hey day the magazine was so successful it spurred the El Nacional newspaper.
DR soccer to match Montserrat island
The Dominican Republic soccer team will match the team of the island of Montserrat on Sunday in San Cristóbal. The match will take place at 3:30 pm on the soccer field of the Instituto Preparatorio de Menores. The follow up game will take place 19 March in Montserrat. The winner of that match will in turn confront the winner of the Trinidad & Tobago and Netherlands Antilles series. The International Soccer Federation sanctions the event.
Mario Andretti: DR should build international race track
In an interview with the Listín Diario, legendary car racer Mario Andretti, several times winner of the Indy Car race and a Formula One winner, advocated for the construction of an international racetrack with world standards in the DR.
He is visiting invited by Texaco to participate in the Expo Automovilismo, a major car exhibition that opens tonight Thursday, 2 March at the Dominican Fiesta Hotel. The event continues through 5 March. Andretti said that the DR has the location and tourism attractions to make it a great site for international race competitions. He said that the DR could follow the successful cases of Australia and Aruba, where tracks have become profit-generating.
He emphasized though, that a track will only be successful if careful planning and organization is behind it. "It has to be a joint effort of government, tourism and private sectors," he said.
Independence Boxing Cup
Boxers from Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guatemala and host DR are participating in the Independence Boxing Cup that opened 28 February at the Palacio de Deportes of Santiago de los Caballeros. The event will last through 3 March and will serve as preparatory event for important international competitions, such as the Olympic Games.
Santo Domingo Movie Showing
The Second Santo Domingo International Movie Showing continues at the Hollywood Diamond Plaza mall. It will last through 8 March. The limelight this year is on films from Europe, Latin America and Israel. It is an excellent opportunity to see films that otherwise would not come to the DR, where 90% of the films are US films.
International equestrian tournament
Riders from 11 countries will participate in the X Equestrian Grand Prix Brugal to take place 3-5 March at the Centro Ecuestre Las Colinas in Santo Domingo. Competitors are coming from Guatemala, Honduras Venezuela, Germany, Holland, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Haiti and Panama to participate in six categories. Riders will represent the DR from the Nitrán, Las Marismas, Casa de Campo, Club Internacional de Equitación, Feria Ganadera and Las Colinas horseback riding centers. The competition is an officially sanctioned International Equestrian Federation event.
Other events worth attending
Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio. Contemporary Latin jazz music. 3-4 March. 8:30 pm. Teatro Nacional. RD$500-RD$300.
Bungee Concierto 2000. Saturday, 4 March and Sunday 5 March. Velodromo Parque Olimpico. March 4: Toque Profundo, Tabutek, Gualtiao, Reach, Garlic, Division X and On the rise.
March 5: Al Jadaqui, Mabé , Mr. Clika. Reach, Garlic, Division X and On the rise. Tickets RD$175. 7 pm. Bungee jump at noon. Concert at 7 pm.
Carnival Millennium 2000
Carnival continues all over the Dominican Republic. The Ministry of Tourism and the Cervecería Nacional Dominicana (Presidente Beer) present Carnival Millennium 2000.
As part of the carnival celebrations, a handicrafts exhibition-sale is taking place 28 February-5 March at the Plaza de España, facing the Alcazar de Colón, in the Colonial City.

Upcoming highlights of the Carnival this year are:
5 March. Santo Domingo. Malecon parade. 2 pm.
Bonao: 12 March. Parque de Bonao. 3 pm.
Puerto Plata. 10-13 March. 12 March presentation of carnival figures from other areas of the country. Malecon. 3 pm.
Mao. 12 March. Calle Duarte. 3 pm

Presidente Beer is also sponsoring the participation of several well-known orchestras, with shows to be staged at the Avenida del Puerto.
The orchestras to perform there as of 9 pm are:
Rubby Pérez (Friday, 3 March)
Freddy Gerardo and Grupo Mío (Saturday, 4 March), Fernando Villalona and Los Toros Band-Grand Parade (Sunday, 5 March.)
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