2007 Travel News Archive – Page 3

Travel worldwide is up by 5.6%, according to the October 2007 issue of UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. From January to August, destinations worldwide received an estimated 610 million international tourist arrivals, compared with 578 million during the same period in 2006. Year-end growth is estimated at 5.7%, maintaining an above-average growth rate. Growth has been …

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The UNWTO Barometer reports that the Caribbean is the only one of the world’s sub-regions to have recorded a decline in arrivals in the first eight months of 2007. The Caribbean experienced a drop of 3%, through August, when compared to 2006. The principal factors seem to have been the US economy and the effects …

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The Punta Cana Ecological Foundation has won one of the prestigious “Brugal Cree en su Gente” (Brugal Believes in Its People) awards this year. This year’s winners were Patronato Benefico Oriental, in the category of social assistance; Instituto Politecnico Industrial de Santiago (IPISA) in Education; Instituto de Accion Comunitaria (IDAC) in community development, Sociedad Cultural …

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Barcelo has announced the acquisition of the former Occidental Gran Flamenco hotel in Playa Dorada. The sprawling 582-room resort has eight restaurants and two bars. It is being renamed the Barcelo Puerto Plata Hotel and has been re-branded as a Barcelo Premium level hotel. This is one of two hotels recently purchased by Playa Hotels …

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The Dominican Republic representative at the Miss World pageant, Ada Aimee de la Cruz, has won the Beach Fashion Show Beach Beauty crown, a fast-track ticket to the Miss World 2007 contest semi-finals in Sanya, China. In third place was the People’s Republic of China and in second place Jamaica. Miss DR was born in …

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Dominican children from poor neighborhoods in Puerto Plata will be sporting trendy Crocs shoes this holiday season. Crocs, the manufacturer of innovative footwear donated 10,000 pairs of newly recycled Crocs as part of activities scheduled for the Dominican International Film Festival. The event was held on 8-11 November at Sun Village Resort & Spa in …

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Baseball fans visiting the DR should combine spending a night in cities with baseball parks. Best for catching the professional winter baseball league action are the cities of Santo Domingo (Estadio Quisqueya, home club for Licey and Escogido), Santiago (Estadio Cibao, home club to Aguilas), La Romana (Estadio Micheli, home club to the Azucareros) and …

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The top brass of the Colorado Rockies were in Santo Domingo over the weekend to visit their Boca Chica Baseball City academy. Visiting were Charles K. Monfort, chairman and CEO; Richard L. Monfort, vice chairman; Greg Feasel, senior VP for business operations; Harold Roth, senior VP, chief financial officer; Gill Geivett, Marc Gustafson and Rolando …

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Playa Dorada announces the release of the fourth edition of their deluxe Playa Dorada Magazine at an event this coming Tuesday, 13 November at the Santo Domingo Hotel Embajador?s Salon Consular at 6pm. The magazine features a report on La Isabela, the first settlement built by Christopher Columbus in the New World; the history of …

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This year the Dominican Republic shines at the 8th Latin Grammy Awards. Several performers have been nominated for awards and songwriter and singer Juan Luis Guerra is to be honored as Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year at a tribute dinner and subsequent bash at the Pure Nightclub in Caesar?s Palace, sponsored by Johnny …

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