Caribbean Training Institute (IFTC) director Iris Perez Arias passed away at a Santo Domingo hospital on Sunday, 26 April 2015. She was 71 years old and had been suffering from ill health for some time. She is survived by her son, Gian Palamara Perez, and two granddaughters, Maria Gabriela and Alejandra. She was the first Dominican director of the PUCMM hotel school. At the IFTC she organized training courses for Dominican tourism executives.