DR1 Travel News - 11 September 2018

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Asonahores Tourism Trade Exhibition opens 19 September
London’s Sunday Times recommends Santo Domingo
Book the Romeo Santos villa at Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana
79 new hotels open since 2012
DR1 Forums keep watch on September storms



Asonahores Tourism Trade Exhibition opens 19 September
The National Hotel & Tourism Association (Asonahores) is hosting the 32nd Tourism Trade Exhibition from 19 to 21 September at the BlueMall Punta Cana. The event is open to the public from 10am to 7pm. This year, transport has been arranged for the participation of business people from Puerto Plata, Samana, Santo Domingo and La Romana. Special rates are offered at the Dreams Resorts and Catalonia hotels in the area for participants. Some 335 stands are available at the new Blue Mall shopping venue, making the exhibition 40% bigger than in past years when the exhibition took place at hotel convention centers in Punta Cana.


London’s Sunday Times recommends Santo Domingo
Chaotic traffic keeps people away from Santo Domingo, the capital city of Santo Domingo. But now, there just may be too many reasons to brave the congestion to discover what the city has to offer, beyond the beaches, hotels and restaurants of sand and sun resort areas. A feature in The Times on Sunday, 9 September 2018, encourages tourists to come to visit the capital city and more of the Dominican Republic.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...best-beaches-hotels-and-restaurants-6fptx06w2


Book the Romeo Santos villa at Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana
Romeo Santos now has a villa at the Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana, and his fans all around the world can reserve to stay there through the resort’s reservation system. In an interview with Listín Diario, he explained that it has many of his own style that he has at his main residence in New York City. The media was invited to the inauguration on Friday, 8 September 2018.

At the villa you can see the iconic attire he wore for the filming of his videos and during his concerts. The memorabilia includes details from his Yankee Stadium concert, or that at the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo, photographs of his tours, and an iconic golden microphone.

“The King’s Villa” is intended to mirror the style of Romeo Santos, also known as the “King of Bachata.” The fourth floor 722m2 villa was designed by Dominican Miguel Fernández and is located near the beach. It features two master suites and a guest bedroom. Each has a terrace with billiards table, bar, and jacuzzi. There is a spa area, a dining room, a living room with ocean view and an enormous fish tank.

Saymon Díaz, local promoter of Santos here, said the idea for the villa came about in 2016 after a concert by the artist at the resort. “We reached the conclusion he was the ideal artist for a project like this, both for his track record in Latin musical culture, and for his Dominican roots.

Rodrigo Chapur, spokesman for the hotel ownership, told journalists: “True to our brand and our name, this is another opportunity so that our guests can feel closer to their idol.” He said the resort distinguishes itself not only as a prime resort, but also as a popular and special destination for music aficionados.
https://listindiario.com/entretenim...lla-de-romeo-santos-en-punta-cana-en-detalles


79 new hotels open since 2012
In the past six years, 79 new hotels have opened in the Dominican Republic and 45 hotels have undergone renovations, according to the Presidency. This means an additional 12,380 hotel rooms and 13,831 renovated rooms. As of August 2018, there were another 7,246 rooms under construction and renovation nationwide. The Presidency says there are 90,000 rooms in hotels and villas available for booking by tourists. This is the largest inventory in the Caribbean and Central America.

The Presidency attributes the boom to Tourism Development Promotion Law 158-01 that grants fiscal incentives that have attracted foreign investment.

From January to July 2018, travel to the Dominican Republic was up 5.9%. Over the past years, the trend has been for increases in visitation. The abovementioned period coincides with the six-year anniversary of Medina administration.

https://listindiario.com/economia/2018/09/07/532219/en-seis-anos-construyen-79-hoteles-en-el-pais


DR1 Forums keep watch on September storms
Chances are minimal of being caught in a tropical storm when traveling to the Caribbean. But they are real. Travelers to the Dominican Republic in September should keep watch on the tropical storms coming our way. The best way to do so is by following the DR1 Weather & Beyond’s 2018 Hurricane Season thread championed by MikeFisher. MikeFisher keeps a sports fishing business in the Punta Cana area that has made him a local weather expert.

While international weather reports are primarily focused on following the storms prior to their hitting the United States, the DR1 hurricane season thread is specifically related to forecasts on how these can affect our shores. Fellow residents around the country also pitch in to track and comment on the weather so people in different areas of the country are alerted to when they may be affected by more than heavy rainstorms.

The month of September has traditionally been the peak of hurricane season for the Dominican Republic. Of 11 hurricanes that have hit since 1930, 10 were in September, one on 31 August, and one in October. Take note of how spaced out the storms are, and how what hits on the east coast (Punta Cana) may not be felt on the north (Puerto Plata) or even south coast (Santo Domingo and La Romana). Since 1930 only two storms have hit the Punta Cana area (1996 and 2004).
Hurricanes hitting the Dominican Republic since 1930 have been:
Jeanne. (Category 1). 17 September 2004. East coast, Samana on the Northeast and North Coast (as tropical storm).
Georges. (Category 3). 22 September 1998. La Romana to Santo Domingo on the southern coast.
Hortense. (Category 3). 10 September 1996. East coast from Punta Cana to Samana. 130 kph.
Gilbert. (Category 3). 11 September 1988. Barahona on the southwestern coast, with winds of 200 kph.
Emely. (Category 4). 22 September 1987. Bani on the southwestern coast, winds of 220 kph.
David. (Category 4-5). 31 August 1979. Santo Domingo on the southcentral coast to the southwest.
Beulah. (Category 4). 10-11 September 1967. Barahona on the western coast with winds of 225 kms per hour.
Ines. (Category 4). 29 September 1966. Barahona on the western coast, winds of 240 kph.
Edith. (Category 2). 26-27 September 1963. La Romana on the southeastern coast, winds of 160 kph.
Katie. (Category 1). 16 October 1955. Barahona on the western coast, winds of 125 kph.
San Zenon. (Category 4-5). 3 September 1930. Santo Domingo on the southcentral coast.

On the positive side, September is a month to get good deals in airfare, hotel stays. This is also a good time to get travel insurance, but check carefully to see what is really covered.

https://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/171769-2018-Hurricane-Season?p=1910796#post1910796