The Hotel V Centenario Inter-Continental is at present participating in a company-wide drive to support UNICEF programs and alleviate the suffering of women and children in the world. In an interview with Giancarlo Gelli of the Listin Diario, the director general of the hotel explained that the scheme is underway in 180 hotels, in 67 countries, as part of the chain’s 50th anniversary activities. He said that all the Inter-Continental Hotels will hold gala dinners and marathons and that there will be a Teletom among several countries.
The drive began on 31 January and will end on 31 December. In the Dominican Republic an estimated 53,000 children work, another 58,000 wander the streets begging, or becoming prostitutes at an early age, according to a UNICEF study.
The Inter-Continental chain began as a subsidiary of Pan American World Airways with one hotel in Belem, Brazil. Inter-Continental is the oldest international hotel chain with an interest in the Dominican Republic. It was the first operator of the Hotel Embajador starting in 1957. The hotel is now the property of Occidental Hotels, a Spanish chain. Inter-Continental returned to Santo Domingo in 1994 as operator of the Hotel V Centenario Inter-Continental.
BA and AA form alliance
British Airways and American Airlines have announced an alliance that is expected to feed passengers from both airlines into their systems. A report in the Wall Street Journal says that while there will not be an exchange of capital, the two airlines will share income on certain rutes and link their earnings. British Airways has 42.7% of the traffic between the United States and Great Britain, compared to AA’s 17.2%.
The move is in line with the new trends in several sectors, such as entertainment, communications and banking. United Airlines has affiliated with Lufthansa, Northwest with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Delta Airlines has associated with Swissair and Sabena Belgian World Airlines has a similar agreement with Austrian Airlines.
These alliances are immune from the anti-monopoly laws in the United States and allow the partners to work together to fix rates and plan itineraries. Pending the start of the BA/AA alliance, the Wall Street Journal says that the United States government has indicated that the British government must approve an open skies agreement with the U.S., as Germany has done, and allow landing rights at its highly coveted London Heathrow Airport.
Minister of Tourism calls for professional management at CAB
The Minister of Tourism Frank Jorge Elias favors the strengthening of the Junta de Aeronautica Civil, the civil aviation board, so that the country can handle the challenges of modern air transportation. In a speech on the “Liberalizacion del Transporte Aereo, Retos y Oportunidades,” he commented on the benefits of the present open skies, saying that charter operations are vital to the tourist industry. He said that in 1995 some 2,838,884 passengers passed through Dominican airports, 10.5% more than in 1994.
Merengue Festival is time for Dominican food and sweets
The Ministry of Tourism has announced the holding of the Merengue Festival, including grouping of Dominican food and beverage events from 19 to 28 July.
Included in the program are the following events: Festival y Feria del Dulce Criollo. Certamen Barman del Año, Concurso Nacional de Cocteles, Maratón de Camareros, Feria del Chicharrón, Degustación de Platos Criollos, Mini-Festival del Merengue at the Sheraton.
The Ferias del Chicharrón and Dulce Criollo (fried chicken and Dominican sweet fairs) will be held at the plaza in front of the Hotel Sheraton on the Malecon.
A grand closing of the Festival del Dulce Criollo is scheduled for Saturday, 20 July at the Salon Bonanza of the Santo Domingo Sheraton Hotel.
The National Cocktail Contest will be held on 24 July in the Sala de Fiestas of the Gran Hotel Lina & Casino.
The Barman of the Year contest will be in the Gran Salon Caribe at the Hotel V Centenario Inter-Continental on 25 July.
The Waiters Marathon is scheduled for Friday, 26 July. The runners will depart from the Hotel V Centenario, going West along the Malecón as far as the southern car park of the Hotel Santo Domingo.
Punta Cana and Meliá receive CHA ecological awards
The Punta Cana Beach Resort and Meliá Bávaro have been recognized for their ecology protection policies. The two hotels on the East Coast were awarded the annual “Green Hotel” award granted by the Caribbean Hotel Association. Frank Rainieri, chief executive of the Punta Cana Resort, and president of the Dominican Association of Hotels and Restaurants, and Javier Ramis, under manager of the Meliá received the awards on behalf of the hotels.
The Meliá was specifically recognized in the infrastructure category and the Punta Cana was recognized for leadership in promoting environmental programs within the community. Punta Cana created an Ecology Foundation and has donated a considerable extension of lands in the proximity of the hotel for environmental schemes. It also has a program to get the community involved in the conservation of the ecology.
The Olde Yard Inn in the Virgin Islands and the Jamaica Grande Hotel in Jamaica also received awards.
This is the second year of the Caribbean Hotel Association’s ecology awards.