2015 Travel News Archive – Page 20

Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier Garcia is forecasting that travel to the Dominican Republic will increase by more than 10% in 2015. He said that this year’s growth rate will exceed 2014’s. Speaking in the presence of President Danilo Medina and senior officers of Apple Leisure at a ceremony marking the start of construction of …

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President Danilo Medina attended the symbolic start of construction of Apple Leisure’s next branded Secrets Cap Cana Resorts and Spa on Friday 20 February 2015. The US$160 million hotel will have 470 suites, eight restaurants and six bars, and several rooms for meetings and conventions. Speaking at the event, Apple Leisure Group founder John Mullen …

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Despite a series of snowstorms that have caused travel plan cancellations, travel to the Dominican Republic continues to grow. The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic reports that 33,833 more non-resident travelers entered the country in January 2015 compared to January 2014. Of this total 23,376 were foreigners (up 6.2%), while 8,457 were Dominican expats, …

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A total of 290,194 tourists arrived at the Punta Cana International Airport in January, or 66.6% of all tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic that month. The reason is that most travelers visit the country for leisure and Punta Cana has the largest number of resorts in the Dominican Republic. 14.3% of arrivals flew to …

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If you missed the chance to catch the Beatles live in concert back in the day, the next best thing may be to watch Ringo Starr perform at the Hard Rock Punta Cana near Macao on Saturday, 21 February 2015. The former Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band are making the stop …

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The Santo Domingo Carnival continues this Sunday afternoon, 22 February 2015 along Maximo Gomez Avenue, filling the street with color and joy. This year Santo Domingo is celebrating the 500th anniversary of carnival celebrations in the Americas. The city government says that the first ever carnival was held in 1515, just 23 years after the …

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The Central Bank reports that tourism growth of 7.5% of GDP in 2014 was 3.6% greater than in 2013. The Central Bank attributes the growth of the sector to a 9.6% increase in non-resident passenger arrivals. There was also a 3.1% increase in the national hotel room inventory, with 2,060 new rooms added this year. …

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Now is the time to book tickets to the Fundacion Sinfonia-sponsored Festival de Musica Santo Domingo. The Festival will take place 4-14 March at the National Theater. Links are provided to other performances of the selections on the program as a reference to the music. To book tickets, see http://www.sinfonia.org.do Opening concert, on 4 March …

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Every Sunday in February is time for carnival. The most famous Dominican carnival celebrations take place in La Vega (with the traditional diablo cojuelo characters), Bonao (macaraos), and Santiago (lechones). In Puerto Plata there is also a carnival at the Central Park where the traditional carnival character is the “taimascaro”. The National Carnival Parade then …

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Santo Domingo will host the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week from 27-30 April 2015. National and international fashion designers will showcase their collections at the Mercedes Benz showroom on Av. Winston Churchill. The Mercedes Benz Fashion Week has been held in New York, Sydney, Berlin, Panama, Russia, Madrid, Stockholm and Mexico. Dominican designers Jenny Polanco, Carlos …

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