2003 Travel News Archive – Page 4

After over 25 years in the field, Miguelina Ortiz was appointed last week Minister of Tourism. The nomination was made public when she was abroad heading the Dominican delegation that was attending the London World Travel Market. In 1979, Ortiz first joined the Dominican government tourism department working under Victor Cabral. She held posts as …

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Transaero (http://www.transaero.ru/) will begin non-stop service from Moscow (MOW) to Punta Cana (PUJ) effective 30 December. The flight will take 12 hours and 10 minutes, with a shorter return trip of 11 hours and 10 minutes. The airline will reportedly fly over Scandinavia, then to Iceland, entering over Canada and finally across the Atlantic Ocean …

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Wyndham International, the fifth largest US hotel chain and the largest hotel brand in the Caribbean, will become a major player in Dominican travel as of 1 December. Under a 10-year strategic alliance agreement, the seven Viva Resorts properties in the Bahamas, Mexico and the three in the Dominican Republic are being re-branded as Viva …

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One hundred and forty French and Swiss tourists were left in the lurch in Puerto Plata when the tour operator that had brought them to the North Shore closed up shop. The Swiss company, Avione Travel, did not pay the hotel where the tourists were staying and apparently ceased operations while the tourists were vacationing …

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The fall of the peso, while disastrous for so many, makes the Dominican Republic a very attractive proposition for tourists, and the sector is experiencing a boom, with high hotel occupancy levels. The first ten months of the year saw a record number of tourist arrivals numbering nearly 2,700,000 – the first Caribbean tourist destination …

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Employees in the tourist sector will see a rise in their minimum wages, according to an announcement by the national salaries commission. This means that the monthly minimum wage will go up from RD$3,310 to RD$3,800 – less than US$100 at the current exchange rate.

The event that is touted by the golf industry as the most important trade event of the year, The International Golf Travel Market, will take place in the Dominican Republic from 8-11 December. Say its organizers, ?The Dominican Republic is a golfer?s paradise with a combination of outstanding year-round summer weather and varied terrain that …

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The British Embassy in the Dominican Republic is organizing a benefit golfing marathon in collaboration with the British Chamber of Commerce in the Dominican Republic. The golfing marathon is scheduled for 16 January 2004 at the Los Marlins Golf Course/Metro Country Club. UK Ambassador Andy Ashcroft explained at a press conference that golfers will be …

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The British Chamber of Commerce announces a British vs. DR golf tournament on occasion of the visit of George Foulkes, president of British Trade Council for the Caribbean. Foulkes is heading a group of British entrepreneurs interested in doing business in the Dominican Republic. The 21-22 February tournament is just part of a series of …

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A small pod of dolphins mesmerized the entire southeastern coastline yesterday, as thousands watched the animals swim along the coast. Hundreds of cars stopped along the highways to allow their passengers to watch the show. From 9am until well after 6pm that day, the dolphins advanced along the shoreline and gave the people a spectacle …

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