What is the role of the Minister of Tourism?

M

Mujermaravilla

New member
Jun 15, 2006
379
44
0
I'm reading all these things about how that guy is giving permision to build and this and that. As I undertand it he has a background in developing real estate. is that right?

I would think that a Minister of Tourism would have a background in Marketing. I know we don't take full advantage of all the tourist that come to the island now. ( I mean that in the best of ways)

Why doesn't he provide an updated website with a call center where people can find information and come up with a vacation that is taylor made. how come there are no commercials on TV here in the US. Why doesn't he support the small hotel / guest house owners?

How about providing cheap reliable transportation for tourist? ex... a bus that goes from Boca Chica to Malecon and Zona Colonial with clearly marked bus stops and schedules like every 2 or 3 hours or something like that between 3 pm and 3 am. They can even make the bus stop a bar, or info booth or something.

In Puerto Plata they can have tranportation that would bring people to Damajagua... right now those guys are at the mercy of the tour companies. Did you know that the tour companies pay only 10 dollars per GROUP. well at least that is what my guide told me. How great would it be if a tourist can take a bus with a schedule to damajagua or maimon.

Why not market the country better. why not run golf and spa commercials on MSNBC. why not promote sosua/ cabarete on MTV. why not show punta cana on the major networks?

That is what he should be doing to selling away every little piece of beach. What is going to happen then? we are going to have all these tourist that stay at all inclusives and the people that really live in the country the real contributors to the economy, small business will not have anything to offer to the tourist.
 
Robert

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
That is a very good question.

The Ministry of tourism should be disbanded and replaced by a body that is a mix of public and private sectors. That way a broad range of interest's will be represented, not those of just a few people.

Right now we have one person that has a lot of control and is a political appointee, not someone elected by the industry. As we are starting to see, things can sometimes get a little messy with this scenario.
 
C

Capt. Rob57

New member
Mar 22, 2006
258
2
0
I see lots of commericals on T.V. for the D.R. but, you are rite. This country is not marketed correctley. WhenI first started coming here it was on the U.S. state dept. do not fly list. They said it did not have a stable govt. I have never had any problem here. Other than some bad tasting beers. Just think what this country would be like if : FIRST no one stole out of your luggage. SECOND: when you went to the beach you weren't hasseled. I remember when in Boca Chica there was a rope a dominicans were not allowed to cross it. Now you don't dare go there for fear of weel whatever.
 
M

Mirador

On Permanent Vacation!
Apr 15, 2004
3,563
0
0
What is the role of the Minister of Tourism, Felucho Jimenez?

That's easy!

To make himself the richest real estate and tourism entrepeneur in the Dominican Republic. His investment run the gamut from Constanza, Jarabacoa, Cabarete, Saman?, Las Terrenas, Juan Dolio, etc. Now he has his sights on parts of the Parque National del Este bordering La Romana and Bayahibe. He hasen't given up trying to gain control of Bah?a de las Aguilas (Parque Jaragua). He is a ruthless politician and lacks moral and social sensibility. I do not understand why President Leonel Fernandez has not put a stop to him!!!
 
K

Kyle

Silver
Jun 2, 2006
4,266
161
0
the old saying goes "you can bite the hand that feeds you". i know of 2 music artists that have filmed their videos in the DR in the last year but noone really knows about these things inside the DR. i bet the Minister of Tourism was there :laugh:
the 2 artists are Alan Thicke and Pharrell is you follow popular music.
 
C

Chip00

Guest
corporanr said:
I'm reading all these things about how that guy is giving permision to build and this and that. As I undertand it he has a background in developing real estate. is that right?

I would think that a Minister of Tourism would have a background in Marketing. I know we don't take full advantage of all the tourist that come to the island now. ( I mean that in the best of ways)

Why doesn't he provide an updated website with a call center where people can find information and come up with a vacation that is taylor made. how come there are no commercials on TV here in the US. Why doesn't he support the small hotel / guest house owners?

How about providing cheap reliable transportation for tourist? ex... a bus that goes from Boca Chica to Malecon and Zona Colonial with clearly marked bus stops and schedules like every 2 or 3 hours or something like that between 3 pm and 3 am. They can even make the bus stop a bar, or info booth or something.

In Puerto Plata they can have tranportation that would bring people to Damajagua... right now those guys are at the mercy of the tour companies. Did you know that the tour companies pay only 10 dollars per GROUP. well at least that is what my guide told me. How great would it be if a tourist can take a bus with a schedule to damajagua or maimon.

Why not market the country better. why not run golf and spa commercials on MSNBC. why not promote sosua/ cabarete on MTV. why not show punta cana on the major networks?

That is what he should be doing to selling away every little piece of beach. What is going to happen then? we are going to have all these tourist that stay at all inclusives and the people that really live in the country the real contributors to the economy, small business will not have anything to offer to the tourist.
Click to expand...

Very good points and suggestions. Most of us are left scratching our heads as to the reason why they do the things they do here.

The simplest answer is there is no "esprit de corps". It's every man for himself so the whole focus of the goverment employees is to make sure that they can comfortably retire after 4 years on the dole.

It still boggles my mind why there aren't any politicians willing to tackle this grave issue. I think part of the problem is that Dominicans are not taught to think "outside of the box" and therefore kind of feel "attached" to the way things have been done.

Why do I say this? Well I have talked to numerous Dominicans about politics and to a one they are always pleasantly surprised about my ideas, whereby the people have the power to make changes in a democracy if they see fit.

IMO it will take a Dominican raised in the US with American ideals as far as political system goes to make real changes to the system - BTW Leonel doesn't count.
 
P

planner

.............. ?
Sep 23, 2002
4,409
26
0
Political appointments have very little to do with ability and a lot to do with paybacks.... that is not just here either! It happens in the U.S., Canada, all over Europe.......

Previous posters are correct, many politicos are all about lining their own pockets as much and as quickly as possible.

As to changing and marketing things better, I agree with Robert. A system that included all the different interests in tourism, that made decisions for the good of the country and the tourists would be awesome. Mind you I am not holding my breath waiting......

corporanr - some of your ideas would step firmly on the toes of the tour operators and excursion operators. That territory is strongly guarded and a fight would ensue.......... While I agree with you, it will be a tough one to get but it sure would be good for tourists and the country.
 
F

Funnyyale26

Bronze
Dec 15, 2006
519
4
0
And funny thing is that Leonel does not take any action given this situation, and does not think that these scandals are adding more fuel to his chances of winning the elections. One would think that at one year before elections he would be trying to re gain the trust of the electorate....
 
S

something_of_the_night

Has left the building...
Feb 7, 2006
993
0
0
Mirador said:
What is the role of the Minister of Tourism, Felucho Jimenez?

That's easy!

To make himself the richest real estate and tourism entrepeneur in the Dominican Republic. His investment run the gamut from Constanza, Jarabacoa, Cabarete, Saman?, Las Terrenas, Juan Dolio, etc. Now he has his sights on parts of the Parque National del Este bordering La Romana and Bayahibe. He hasen't given up trying to gain control of Bah?a de las Aguilas (Parque Jaragua). He is a ruthless politician and lacks moral and social sensibility. I do not understand why President Leonel Fernandez has not put a stop to him!!!
Click to expand...

Rumor has it that some of that land legally belongs to the family of vice-almirante Iv?n Castillo, but the powers that be want to confiscate it.
 
M

Mujermaravilla

New member
Jun 15, 2006
379
44
0
corporanr - some of your ideas would step firmly on the toes of the tour operators and excursion operators. That territory is strongly guarded and a fight would ensue.......... While I agree with you, it will be a tough one to get but it sure would be good for tourists and the country.[/QUOTE]


I don't agree. I think there is room for every one. The people who feel they need a guide will always hire a tour operator. the others, independent travelers, college students, the adventurous. They will use public transportation. The point is to get people out of the resorts and exploring the country.

Will the tour operators have to start to pay 10 dollars per person in Damajagua... yes, but then again that is only the fair thing to do. Another option is to charge group rates... OR the guides can start to walk people up the hill and then just tell them where to jump. there has to be room for compromise.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom