2013 Travel News Archive – Page 15

More Russians than Germans visited the Dominican Republic last year. Russia is now the fourth leading source market for tourism in the Dominican Republic, after the US, Canada and France. Russian tourism was up 35% last year, with around 164,000 new arrivals. The increase continues with a 33% increase in the first quarter of the …

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Ramon Tejada and Joel Santos of Xeliter, Coral Hospitality’s rentals operation, announced at DATE Punta Cana that Marbella, Costa del Sol I and Costa del Sol II, high-rise luxury apartments in Juan Dolio have been added to their portfolio of 13 luxury vacation rentals. “Our strategy is to present a diversified offer,” said Tejeda. He …

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Orbest, the Grupo Barcelo airline affiliate, has announced flights from Barajas, Madrid airport to Punta Cana starting in June in time for summer travel. The airline is also flying Barcelo resort travelers to Cancun and Cuba. Orbest is entering the market at a time when Iberia suspended its Madrid flights in April. Air Europa and …

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Speaking at DATE Punta Cana 2013, Deputy Tourism Minister Radhames Martinez announced that last year was an exceptional year for Dominican tourism. He said that the 5.95% increase in visits by non-resident Dominicans and foreigners showed that both the public and private sectors had done their job. The DR received 4.6 million visitors last year. …

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During a press conference at DATE Punta Cana last week, Deputy Tourism Minister Radhames Martinez highlighted the impact that the completion of key roadways is having on tourism in the Dominican Republic. He announced that with the completion of the expansion of the Av. Estados Unidos that runs north-south in the Punta Cana area the …

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Deputy Tourism Minister Radhames Martinez announced that tourism promotion in 2013 would be specific to each area. He announced, for instance a focus on sports for Puerto Plata. The plan is to revitalize the tourism industry in Puerto Plata by sending a bill to Congress aimed at enhancing tourism incentives covering the entire province. The …

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Deputy Tourism Minister Radhames Martinez said that a government task force is working on finding a solution to the convention segment for the city of Santo Domingo. “There is a task force, and a tender will be issued to reach a final decision for the construction of the convention center. “The private sector needs to …

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Colombian airline Avianca has announced it is increasing its frequencies from Bogota (BOG) to Santo Domingo (SDQ) and Punta Cana (PUJ) to seven, up from two at present. Colombians are showing an increasing preference for vacationing in the Dominican Republic. Viviana Martin, speaking for Avianca, made the announcement after a visit last week to the …

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The annual Santo Domingo International Book Fair is underway at Plaza de la Cultura. While books are the main focus, there is also an extensive all-day program of cultural events, complementing the book presentations and author readings. An estimated 700 foreign writers have been invited, including US film director and writer Shelton Jackson Lee, known …

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Royal Caribbean Cruises has announced that its soon-to-launch new ship, Quantum of the Seas is including Samana, Dominican Republic in its Eastern Caribbean itinerary. The ship will be stopping in Labadee (Haiti), Samana prior to San Juan, Puerto Rico on an 11-night cruise from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey. The 167,800-ton, 4,180-passenger ship is …

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