Meet the People Program

An article in the latest CAA member magazine, Journey, mentioned the Meet the People Program offered through the Jamaica Tourist Board. It's a free service that connects visitors with hosts of similar professions or interests to meet while on holidays to get out of the hotels and experience local life. Here is the official website: http://meetthepeople.visitjamaica.com/home/default.aspx

It made me think this would be wonderful if something like this was offered in the Dominican Republic. I know, I know, it's wishful thinking and quite the endeavour to materialize, but I've noticed in DR message boards travelers trying to meet with others while on vacation and thought this type of program is one way of organizing such get-togethers. Does anyone have any thoughts about this?


~ The first gift of wishful thinking is to wish that the wish isn't wishful thinking [author unknown]

Thanks, Rose

After doing a little more online research I found out that Hong Kong also has a Meet the People Program, and Australia and the Scandinavian countries have a similar program called Friends Overseas. A more general term for this is a "hospitality exchange". There are quite a few websites offering people the chance to visit/host internationally. I noticed one specifically for educators, but there's a fee and the Dominican Republic is not listed in its countries covered. Even if there's not a DR program, a person could possibly meet someone on a forum like this.

Dominican Republic is such a great holiday value compared to the other Caribbean countries, many people are drawn there for vacation, but then end up staying in their resorts without truly getting to know the country they are in. It's more than just beaches, and all-you-can eat food and drink. There's wonderful people who live in a country with a wealth of beautiful nature and culture to discover.

On a personal note, my family used to vacation in Freeport, Bahamas for years because relatives moved there to work for some years in the '60s. They had a solid familiarity there with friendships, activities and attractions. Two years ago they decided to go to the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana) for the first time and this year, Puerto Plata. I know they felt a little apprehensive about venturing off the resort because, unlike the Bahamas, the language is Spanish. Meeting someone from DR to spend time with opens the door, so-to-speak. The "hospitality exchange" can go both ways too, where native-born or expats can make friendships and visit those people in their countries. It can be a way of keeping in touch with countrymen if they are expats, or may be an opportunity for native-borns to see another country for the first time. Even those who want to move to the DR to live will find this type of program invaluable. A favourite childhood memory of mine is when a Bahamian family friend visited Canada for Christmas. It was his first time seeing snow (and experiencing cold weather ) and experiencing our yuletide traditions.

I see such potential and positive outcomes. Breaking the invisible "All Inclusive" tourism barrier is a big step in transforming the Dominican Republic into not just a beach vacation destination, but a true second home for life. I see Jamaica tv commercials all the time and their main message is Jamaicans are welcoming you to their country ... the smiling children, the women in the market and the men in their hometown street. It is breaking the image of it being unsafe to venture out of the resort area because "someone is going to rip you off", and showing the everyday life of its people.

~ Ooopps! Sorry for being so long-winded