2003 – Page 38

Tourism statistics

Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez has revealed that the tourism sector contributed US$3.5 billion in receipts last year, 12% more than the estimated US$3.1 billion in receipts in 2004. He attributed the increase in revenue to the boom in US travelers. Last year a record 1,010,012 tourists visited from the United States, the first time the …

Dominican supermodels in X Men 3

Two Dominican supermodels will be starring in X Men III, the eagerly anticipated comic book film. They are Omahyra Mota who will play the role of Stacy X, an attractive mutant, and Dania Ramirez as Callisto, the mutant morlock leader. X-Men 3 is the third film adaptation of the X-Men superhero comic books. Directed by …

La Vega Carnival

It’s carnival time in the Dominican Republic and if you have not been to La Vega, be sure to visit on any Sunday in February, starting 5 February. This year there will be a special parade on Monday, 27 February, Independence Day. While the climax is the last Sunday of the month when all the …

Villas Doradas upgrade

Hotetur Villas Doradas Beach Resort in Cabarete will be closing for complete renovation for six months as from 1 May. The company’s intent is to upgrade the hotel’s facilities and services to four stars. Hotetur is a Spanish operating company. http://dr1.com/directories/hotels/dorado_club_hotetur.shtml

2003 2006 Travel News Archive News Travel

Portillo to be renovated

Spanish-based Pineyro hotel group’s Bahia Principe chain has taken over the Portillo Beach Resort in Las Terrenas, Samana. The hotel closed on 15 January and is scheduled to re-open once fully renovated in November, in time for the 2006-2007 winter season. The Pineyro group runs hotels in the Playa Grande (Rio San Juan) area on …

Constanza’s new carnival

The mountain vacation area of Constanza is revving up to partake in the fun that Carnival brings to the Dominican Republic. The Constanza carnival troupes are making an early start, with celebrations from the last weekend in January till the first weekend in March. The Constanza carnival characters are different: dragons, monsters, Indians and gargoyles …

Whale-watching starts

The whale observation season has begun in Samana. It is open from 15 January, and the season reaches its peak in the month of February. The Ministry of Environment has agreed to extend it this year through mid-April. Thousands of humpbacked whales from the North Atlantic migrate to the waters of the Dominican Republic each …

Laser sailing in Cabarete

2003 Pan American gold medalist Raul Aguayo has won the 4th Caribbean Laser Midwinter Regatta 2006, held in Cabarete 13-15 January. Runner-ups were Ari Barshi, Tim Landt, Ken Brown, Jorge Abreu and four-times world laser champion, Peter Seidenberg. The event was organized by the Dominican Sailing Federation. Competitors from the DR, US, Canada, Ireland and …

A wedding at the top of the Caribbean

Dominicans Catherine Kelner and Carlos Abreu chose to tie the knot at an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) last November. They had met during an excursion to Pico Duarte and chose to formalize their relationship at the same spot. The wedding, which has made the news, came after a four-day excursion to the mountaintop …

4th Caribbean Laser Midwinter regatta

The 4th Caribbean Laser Midwinter regatta will take place in Cabarete 13-15 January 2006. Sailors from North America, Europe and of course the Dominican Republic will participate. The Laser is a one person Olympic sailboat. Cabarete, long famous for windsurfing and kitesurfing, is slowly becoming a hot spot for Laser sailing as well. This international …

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