Travel – Page 604

The Economist magazine, in its 3-9 August issue, writes that the economic indicators for the United Kingdom “present a confusing picture at the moment.” It states that figures for gross domestic product, published on 26 July, showed a sluggish annual growth rate of 1.87%. On the other hand, retail sales figures released two days earlier …

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The National Hotel & Restaurant Association (Asonahores) will hold its Xth Convention and Annual Exhibition from 25-28 September at the Hotel Dominican Fiesta. The President of the Republic, Leonel Fernandez Reyna, is expected to attend the opening ceremony. Garrido Lluberes said, when making the announcement about the convention, that it is especially important as the …

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Last month, the Civil Aviation Board approved the first flights of Air Atlantic to the country. The Dominican airline has applied for the right to fly passengers and cargo to New York, New Jersey, Miami, Panama, Caracas, Lisbon, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Frankfurt, London, Havana, San Juan and Netherlands Antilles from Santo Domingo. The company’s headquarters …

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The president of the Caribbean Culinary Federation, Andres Neiderhauser, visited Santo Domingo last week to promote participation in the “Taste of the Caribbean” with Dominican chefs and restaurant owners. The contest is being organized by the Caribbean Hotel Association and will be held at the El Conquistador Resort & Casino in Puerto Rico on 17-21 …

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Last week, the Ministry of Tourism released its publication “Turismo en cifras,” a statistical review of the industry. It contains figures on the sector from 1980 to 1996. In his introduction, the Minister of Tourism Frank Jorge Elias said that hotel rooms have grown with the increase of tourists. In 1980, there were 5,394; in …

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The former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, praised services provided by the executives and personnel of the Sheraton Santo Domingo Hotel & Casino during his visits to the country for the 16 May and the 30 June elections. The Sheraton was the base for his group of observers.

Reporting for Caribbean Business last week, John Collins wrote that Pan American World Airways may purchase Carnival Airlines, the eight-year old airline that is 90% owned by Carnival Cruise Lines. The purchase would expedite APA International of the Dominican Republic resuming its flights, following the announced merger with Pan American. Reportedly, the acquisition removes the …

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Santo Domingo hotels have been booked throughout July with excellent prospects for August. The revived Merengue Festival, an overall success this year, attracted thousands of Puerto Ricans. Hotels are also seeing a surge in bookings as hundreds of businessmen come in to develop new ties with the government and Dominican businessmen. According to Jaime Tió, …

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Some 433,746 more passengers traveled to the Dominican Republic by air in 1995 than in 1994. In 1995 there were about 4.18 million arrivals and departures, according to a report prepared by the Centro de Información y Comunicación for the Asociación de Líneas Aereas de la R. D. (ALA) just released. Of that total, 1,303,376 …

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The executive director of the Association of Hotels & Restaurants, Pedro Garrido, was critical of the Ministry of Tourism for certain actions it is taking in the days previous to an expected change of command. He criticized the Ministry’s action in opening new tourist offices abroad, adopting promotional initiatives and beginning new services classifications. Mr …

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