DR1 Travel News - 20 February 2018

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
8,215
37
48
www.
Carnival time in the Dominican Republic
Punta Cana carnival has international guests this year
interCaribbean steps up service to Santo Domingo
Whale watching in Samana
Apple Leisure Group tells why DR is Caribbean tourism leader



Carnival time in the Dominican Republic
Head to La Vega, Santiago and Bonao to enjoy the best of the traditional Sunday afternoon carnivals.

The plus this year is the newly opened Carnival Museum in the center of city of La Vega. The museum is open on weekends and admission is free in February. The museum is located off the Parque de las Flores, on Padre Adolfo corner Duvergé streets in central La Vega city. This year, there is also a smaller version of carnival parading in Jarabacoa, the mountain city of the La Vega province.

In Santiago, the action is at the Las Carreras, Francia avenues and the Del Sol and Daniel Espinal streets along which the carnival characters parade with the extraordinary costumes.

While carnival celebrations in La Vega, Santiago and Bonao are the most established, there is carnival on Sundays in February also in Moca, San Francisco de Macoris, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Valverde, Mao, Montecristi, Samana, and Dajabon.

In Puerto Plata, head out to the seaside drive (the Malecón) for the colorful parades of north coast carnival characters.

The National District carnival parade with over 125 groups from all around the country parading on Sunday, 25 February 2018, on the Malecon from the Obelisco de Santo Domingo (Obelisco Macho) to the Monumento de la Independencia Financiera de la República Dominicana (Obelisco Hembra). And on the eastern side of Santo Domingo, Sunday carnival parades are taking place in February.

In Santo Domingo, there is an exhibition of carnival characters at the Galeria 360 mall on Av. J.F. Kennedy and carnival presentations at the Megacentro Mall in eastern Santo Domingo on Saturdays as of 4pm. Also, Downtown Center mall on Av. Rómulo Betancourt and Av. Núñez de Cáceres is presenting the documentary: “Hay un pais en el mundo” from 18-25 February at the Caribbean Cinemas in the plaza and a children’s carnival parade on Sunday, 25 February as of 4pm. Agora Mall has an exhibition of the legendary Broncos of La Vega through 2 March in their main hall. See how the masks have evolved over the past 50 years.

Punta Cana offers its carnival parade on Saturday, 3 March 2018, with a selection of 15 of the best groups of carnival from around the country.


Punta Cana carnival has international guests this year
International carnival delegations from Aruba, Curacao, Haiti and Sint Maarten are participating this year in the Punta Cana Carnival parade. The scheduled starting time is 3pm on Saturday, 3 March 2018. The parade is along the 1 de Noviembre Bulevar on the northern side of Puntacana Village near the Punta Cana International Airport.

The organizers of the Punta Cana Carnival have invited a selection of the 15 best carnival groups from all around the country to parade, making this show one of the best of carnival celebrations in the Dominican Republic.

A live concert with merengue, bachata, reggaeton bands is scheduled to close the carnival.

The Punta Cana carnival is free for standing room alongside the parade route.

The Westin Punta Cana Resort and the Four Points by Sheraton in Puntacana Village are offering deals for those who want to visit for the Punta Cana carnival.


interCaribbean steps up service to Santo Domingo
InterCaribbean Airways is seeking to fill-in for Pawa, since Pawa is no longer serving Sint Maarten from the Dominican Republic. Now InterCaribbean reports that travelers in Santo Domingo and Sint Maarten can make immediate connections via the Tortola hub with a very short layover en-route. The company offers connections to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Antigua. The flight was scheduled to commence on 22 March, but was pushed up to start on 9 February 2018.

"InterCaribbean is pleased to be able to quickly move up our Sint Maarten start date to ensure the communities of Sint Maarten and Santo Domingo have air service options," said Mr. Trevor Sadler, CEO for InterCaribbean. He explained the company has been serving the Dominican Republic for over 15 years with a current schedule of 19 weekly flights.

Founded as InterIsland Airways in 1991 by Turks Islander, Mr. Lyndon R. Gardiner, Chairman of interCaribbean, the company has embarked on adding international destinations and soon will feature jet service. InterCaribbean serves twenty-two cities. http://intercaribbean.com/intercaribbean-accelerates-introduction-of-sint-maarten-services/


Whale watching in Samana
It’s the peak time for taking whale-watching excursions to see the humpback whales breach up and down in Samaná Bay. The observation season began 15 January and continues through 30 March 2018. The whales, some weighing up to 40 tons, travel 8,000 kilometers from the North Atlantic to reach the warm waters of Samaná Bay.

Humpback whales have been wintering near Samana for centuries. Cave drawings made by the aboriginal inhabitants of Los Haitises National Park long before Columbus arrived depict the spouting whales. And Columbus saw them too, as the log of his travels along the north coast in 1493 makes clear.


Apple Leisure Group tells why DR is Caribbean tourism leader
Apple Leisure Group executive vice president Javier Coll told Caribbean Journal that the numerous non-stop connections to the Dominican Republic are at the core of the country’s success in tourism numbers and hotel growth. The report also focuses on how the Dominican Republic has the most hotel rooms in the Caribbean, and the most currently under construction.

Coll says that another reason for the constant increase in tourism properties is the relatively easy government procedures and competitive tax incentives and exemptions and the availability of beachfront land for hotel development.

Coll also spoke of the country’s mix of culture and scenic beauty and variety of vacation segments.

Recent statistics from STR analytics firm indicates that the DR had 3,525 rooms in construction in January 2018, more than any other destination in the Caribbean.

Coll, however, cautioned that the price to be paid for fast hotel development may provoke a potential oversaturation of the market. But he felt the DR would be able to handle all of this growth. He told Caribbean Journal: “The country has created a reliable infrastructure that can absorb the increase of visitor numbers,” he said. “For this reason, we are looking at several different opportunities to expand the AMResorts footprint on the island and provide our customers with more alternatives – that includes new builds as well conversion properties.”

https://www.caribjournal.com/2018/02/18/apple-leisure-group-bullish-dominican-republic/#