AUGUST 2009

Colina al Mar project begins at awe-inspiring Las Terrenas

The most innovative tourist offer

BREAKING NEWS: LAS TERRENAS, Samana.- In a scene which melds exuberantly green hills and the marine landscape of Cosón Beach, internationally recognized among Dominican Republic’s best beaches, the real estate project Colinas al Mar, considered the most innovative of Samaná province’s tourism offering.

Upon introducing the project, Colina al Mar president and vice-president Jaime and Raymundo Polanco defined it as the perfect option for those who want to enjoy in a single backdrop both natural attractions in Samana, the country’s fastest growing tourism destination.

Colina al Mar is a low-density project with 60 real estate units distributed in 15 blocks strategically located in natural surroundings combining all the natural beauty the tourist community Las Terrenas offers.

Jaime and Raymundo Polanco said that the new development will be developed under the highest international standards of quality and with the guarantee of a management agreement with the recognized company Viva Residence to operate the project’s services and facilities.

The interior of each unit features rooms with their baths and walk in closets, dining room, large terrace with integrated Jacuzzi, parking, a Social Club with diverse entertainment, sports activities, restaurants, tennis court, swimming pool with bar, gym, sauna, spa, picnic and BBQ area, gardens for nature walks, private beach club, and a pool swimming and playground for the kids.

Dominican Today, 03.08.09

Tourism must be the prime mover of the local economy

Development of the productive sectors

BREAKING NEWS: The managing director of the Customs, Rafael Camilo, said that the sector of tourism had to be transformed into the prime mover of the economy of the Dominican Republic, which will create the conditions for the development of the productive sectors like the industrial and the agricultural sectors.

Camilo informed that Dominican Republic had the conditions so that the current economic model, based on tourism, makes a favorable economic atmosphere which would allow the development of the productive sectors and that those become an important part of the contribution to the gross domestic product.

The civil servant evoked the need for submitting to discussion the proposals for changes of the current economic model made by the president of the National Council of the Private Companies (Conep), Lisandro Macarrulla, to conceive a development strategy based on the most competitive sector, tourism, to form a productive structure in which the industrial and agricultural sectors would be transformed into prime mover of the long-term economy.

The tourist sector must be, as it was before the case of the sugar, the spinal column of the Dominican economy, because the demands for goods and services coming from tourism are managed like exports, he supported.

He said that tourism of the Dominican Republic was currently transformed into the most competitive of the Caribbean, Central America and of other areas of Latin America, inlcuded Cancun.

He specified that the productive sectors have to develop strategies to benefit from the sustained high growth and solid dynamism underwent by the tourist sector, which in the middle of the international crisis was not yet significantly affected.

Las Terrenas Live, 04.08.09

Excursion in the Bay of Samaná

Finally something new !

BREAKING NEWS: LAS TERRENAS.- Nicolas has a very new exclusive excursion for his agency Flora Tours: Sailing in the Samana Bay on a tall ship.

An unforgettable day on this splendidtall ship Barbara Jane II, type Formosa Ketch of 1980.

The program

Transfer in taxi to Santa Bárbara de Samaná.

Boarding and sailing in the Samana Bay to Cayo Farola where you will be able to make snorkeling (material included), before going to have an aperitif on board in front of the splendid beach of Cayo Levantado where you will enjoy a swimming.

Then the meal will be taken on the pretty Anadel beach at a few minutes of navigation. We will eat at the restaurant Las Cayenas al Mar.

After the meal, bath and nap before boarding and sailing to the port of Samaná with a last stop to swim in the bay.

The price of this excursion is 3200Rds or 90US $/65 Euros per person with a maximum of 16 people. There is possibility of chartering it for private excursions. That costs 900US $ the full day food and drinks included, up to 12 people maximum.

If you want to rent the boat without food and drink and to bring your icebox, it is also possible and the price will be 780US $.

This excursion is on sale as from today in exclusiveness at the Flora Tours agency in the Main Street in front of the Paseo.

Ask Nicolas for the available dates.

Welcome aboard of the BARBARA JANE II !

Las Terrenas Live, 05.08.09

El Portillo Beach Club & Spa

Investors are interested by the complex

BREAKING NEWS: A group of local investors visited on board of their own planes the installations of the real complex El Portillo Beach Club & Spa, which is built in Las Terrenas, Samaná thanks to a capital of 50 million dollars.

The group, on board of 15 small planes, arrived to El Portillo airport, where people was received by the executives of El Portillo Beach Club & Spa, who made them discover the installations and the facilities of the tourist project which has as principal attraction the natural wealth of Samaná.

The construction of the airport, and the new facilities of the Government so that the small planes come to visit the country, form part of a tourist promotion strategy, which facilitated the visit of local and foreigners investors who practice aviation tourism, through the aero clubs.

El Portillo Beach Club & Spa promises to boost the area and the economy of the province of Samaná with 400 work stations.

Last March, Porto Rican investors arrived on board of 12 planes to the terminal of El Portillo at the time of a fly-in, programmed to promote the initiative of the sectors interested by high level tourism. Just like as previously done by the Carribean Flying Adventura Club , of the United States.

On these occasions, all the sale representatives of the project made know to the investors the importance of El Portillo Beach Club & Spa, while being part of the development which during the 30 last years was underwent in Samaná.

According to the executives, the tourist complex of El Portillo Beach Club & Spa is qualified as a real development tourist project of low density and conceived specifically for a high level market.

The complex will have 155 apartments type villa with more than 300 meters of beach and with all the services included, such as a beach club, a rancho and the airport.

Its situation in front of the beaches with blue turquoise waters and of white sand typical of the peninsula of Samaná makes of this tourist complex a privileged destination of the area of the Caribbean for the tropics lovers.

Las Terrenas Live, 07.08.09

Dominican Republic is ready to develop aviation tourism

Melvin Cintrón director of general aviation in United States of America

BREAKING NEWS: The director of the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC), José Tomás Pérez, explained that with the appointment of the Dominican Melvin Cintrón as the general aviation director in the USA, the country is strengthening its links with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and is getting reddy to develop aviation tourism.

The appointment of Cintrón enabled us to continue collaboration and making joint actions with the FAA. We are actually working on aspects as regulation. Today, there is an important link, precisely because the interest for general aviation is developing in USA, and that it coincides with the interest we developed at the IDAC, in order to stimulate private flights to improve the country tourist activity, said Pérez.

He added that the private flights represented a great potential for the development of aviation tourism in the country, since in the USA, there are 600.000 private pilots and many others around the world.

The next step, and as we agreed with the Tourism Minister Francisco Javier García, should be directed by this institution, because it’s not just about bringing airplanes to the country, but to attract aviation tourism, Pérez added.

Las Terrenas Live, 10.08.09

Aerodom affirms that the flow of the passengers increased

62 thousand 112 people arrived to El Catey

BREAKING NEWS: According to the reports of the Dominican Airports Century XXI (Aerodom) there was an increase in the passenger’s flow, especially that of the tourists of various nationalities.

The figures offered by the Director of Communications, Yolanda Mañán, specify that two million 112 thousand 838 Dominican and foreign people travelled during the first seven months of this year, through four international airports managed by the Consortium.

She said that in the Las Americas Airport, during the January-July period, one recorded 1 million 369 thousand 500 passengers, of which 665 thousand 362 entered and 704 thousand 138, left.

Mañan said that through Gregorio Luperon Airport, of Puerto Plata, there had been a movement of 673 thousand 154 Dominican and foreign travelers,

And by the International Airport Juan Bosch, El Catey, Samaná, entered and left 62 thousand 112 passengers.

The provided statistics reveal that more than 50 percent of the passengers who entered and left the country were American, Porto Rican, Canadian, Spanish, French, German, English, Colombian, and Peruvian tourists.

Las Terrenas Live, 11.08.09

The road to the Peninsula of Samaná still in bad condition

Very slow work

BREAKING NEWS: Samaná. - It doesn’t matter that one circulates comfortably by the Juan Pablo II highway to enjoy the tourist attractions of this province; one will find a completely different panorama with the first course by taking the Sánchez-Samaná road as it is then necessary to circulate on a section in bad condition.

The bad state of the road prevents the tourist development of an area which still awaits investments for its exploitation.

On this subject, tourist company managers of Las Terrenas and El Limón expressed that the authorities were not enough mobilized to solve this problem.

The access to the Province of Samaná is an old problem and even if workmen are working on the repair of the road, the process is very slow ; commented on a Spanish company manager who lives here since more than 15 years.

This opinion was corroborated by an Italian investor, who moreover explained the lack of unity of the business owners which also slows down the fact of making pressure on the authorities in order they finish the roadwork.

Along the way, one can observe workers, who stop the passage of the vehicles in a way and in the other to be able to cross in the two directions but those are only working the working days, which causes difficult situations for the people circulating the weekend or during bank holidays.

Las Terrenas Live, 12.08.09

Presentation of the tourist project Vistas del Cayo

El Limón

BREAKING NEWS: The District & Co. I Caribbean Development Companyand the estate agency Pacific Reef S.A., presented the show flats of the project Vistas del Cayo to El Limón, Samaná, close to one of the beaches and the natural surroundings most beautiful of the country.

The complex is located at 10 minutes of the national airport El Portillo and at 30 minutes of the international airport El Catey, as well at 2 hours and half of the capital Santo Domingo by the new road.

It is close of more than seven beaches of the zone and natural wonders like the National Park of Los Haïtises, Cayo Levantado and El Limón Waterfall.

Vistas del Cayo is a low density project which offers the exclusiveness in housing units which include apartments, villas, town houses, bungalows and junior suites of the hotel shop Hospes Samaná.

It has an infrastructure of first quality, with a modern and avant gardist concept integrated in the natural landscape characteristic of the zone and with wonderful views on the cayo El Coquito.

Vistas del Cayo is a complex built in first front line of sea and which will have at disposal a club house, the facilities of a hotel shop of first class and a 5 stars Spa managed by Bodyna Spa’ S & Feelings.

The project is composed of 6 buildings of 6 apartments each one and 4 villas of one floor, distributed on a land of 25 thousand square meters, each one directed strategically to guarantee a view on the sea to all the units.

Las Terrenas Live, 14.08.09

Tourist company managers make known their project

Balcones del Atlántico

BREAKING NEWS: In representation of the National Association of the Young Company Managers, (ANJE), Miguel Roig, vice-president of the organization, thanked the executives of Balcones del Atlántico for the presentation of the projects which they develop in the country.

The management of the tourist project Balcones del Atlántico organized meetings to exchange ideas with the members of the National Association of the Young Company Managers (ANJE).

During this activity, the executives of Balcones del Atlántico presented their project to the members of the ANJE and they invited them in their terrestrial paradise that they are developing in Las Terrenas.

Balcones del Atlántico is a tourist project in construction in Las Terrenas, Samaná, built by Bisonó Enterprise, division of the Bisonó Group, which is devoted to the construction in the tourist sector and which is developing a spectacular project where intervene prestigious companies and professionals like the decorator of interiors Patricia Reid Baquero and the architect Juan Pérez Morales.

This activity formed part of a series of meeting to make known the attractions of the project.

Las Terrenas Live, 17.08.09

Tourism of Dominican Republic in its best moments

The situation changes in a favorable way

BREAKING NEWS: The Secretary of Tourism, Francisco Javier García, expressed that the industry of housing was in a phase of recovery because it is still an attractive market as « remote destination », reason why Sectur created new units of promotion on a world level.

García added that the prospects for tourism in general are obviously good, since this sector is the less affected by the financial crisis. This is reflected in the fall of the arrival of tourists which was of 3% during July and June, while in January it had been of 9%. What means that the situation changes in a favorable way.

He indicated that for nations like France, Germany, England and Italy, the Dominican Republic continuous to occupy the first place with regard to the remote destinations.

As for the United States, one expected that on this date, the figures would be in the red, however, the Dominican tourist market underwent a growth of 1.5%.

He explains moreover which what helped is the fact that Dominican Republic diversified its tourist promotion.

The agreements with international Tours Operators changed the method now. We not only had negotiated in 2008 the agreements with Tours Operators for 2009, but also for 2010.

Sectur invested 12 million euro to support the country on the European market while they intended 15 million dollars to increase the visits of the tourists of the United States.

Las Terrenas Live, 19.08.09

Weather warns against high swells and winds

On the East and the North-East coasts

BREAKING NEWS: The National Office of Meteorology (Onamet) informs that Hurricane Bill is spreading high swells, especially on the Atlantic coasts and in the Bay of Samaná, this is why it is recommended to the bathers to take caution measures and to the operators of small boats to remain at port until the Hurricane Bill moves away from the zone.

Although Onamet indicates that Hurricane Bill does not represent a danger to the Dominican Republic, its presence over the Atlantic waters North-East of the Leeward Islands generates bad weather on the East and the North-East coasts of the country and high waves of 9 feet.

Onamet informs that on the Atlantic coasts, the winds of the North-East will blow between 15 and 25 knots (approximately 30 and 45 kilometers per hour) and that the waves will reach heights between five and nine feet, and even higher in open sea, with scattered showers and wind gusts. While for the Bay of Samaná, the waves will be between four and seven feet hight (up to 2 meters) and the North-eastern winds will be blowing between 15 and 22 knots.

Even after the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami downgraded Hurricane Bill to a Category 3, a U.S. satellite image taken at 1715GMT (10 a.m. local) shows a vast system and just how close Dominican Republic came to a close call with a monster storm.

Las Terrenas Live, 20.08.09

252 young people are graduated as Auxiliary Police Officers

To help in the tourist sector

BREAKING NEWS: More than 250 young people of the provinces of Altagracia, Samaná, Puerto Plata and of the National District were graduate as new Auxiliary Police officers to help in the tourist sector.

The young people are between 18 and 30 year-old and they received their diplomas as new Auxiliary Police officers during a ceremony headed by the secretary of Interior and Police and the general coordinator of the Democratic Safety Plan, Doctor Franklin Almeyda Rancier, and by the Chief of the National Police, major Rafael Guillermo Guzmán Fermín as well as by other civil and official civil servants of the police.

Teresa Rojas, person in charge of the educational sector of the Secretariat of Interior and Police, said that they received training during 12 weeks.

In the first phase, courses on Tourist Information, Human rights, Morals and Good citizenship, Use of the Force and the Driving of Motor bikes were exempted to them with police characteristics.

Moreover, they were evaluated by professional drivers.

In addition to the civil servants mentioned, colonel Jose Rafael Castro Ureña, director of the Auxiliary Police force; General Henry Gómez Bueno, director of POLITUR; and Mrs Ramona Medina,administrative director of the Auxiliary Police Program, were also present.

On his side, the chief of the National Police force, Rafael Guillermo Guzmán Fermín, qualified as admirable the process of transformation and modernization of the National Police for five years. We want a National Police more flexible, more respectful of the human rights, more institutional, expressed the police civil servant.

Guzmán Fermín underlined the preventive measures of infringement applied by the institution, which in his opinion contributed to reduce the acts of delinquency.

Las Terrenas Live, 21.08.09

The Dominican tourist model, an example for Colombia

Projects of high level investments

BREAKING NEWS: The Colombian authorities want to benefit from the experience of the tourist development of the Dominican Republic, as expressed by the Commerce, Industry and Tourism minister of this nation, Luis Guillermo Plata.

The civil servant talked about this subject at the time of his visit to Francisco Javier García, holder of the Secretariat of Dominican Tourism (Sectur), with who he conversed during more than one hour. In Colombia, we consider that one of the best examples to be followed is the tourist development of the Dominican Republic, this is why we wanted to speak about it with the secretary Francisco Javier García, to learn and benefit from this experience and to jointly work on all the tourist subject, expressed the Colombian minister.

He quoted in example the projects of high level investments which are set up in Dominican Republic and he expressed: It seems that an excellent work was made on the level of the tourist investments, of the development of high level tourist projects and it is what we are also seeking in Colombia. Luis Guillermo Plata added that for the Colombian nation, tourism represented a sector of great importance, since the country is working on the process of recovery on the topic of safety.

Las Terrenas Live, 24.08.09

Numbers become portable in September

The charge for changing phone companies will be RD $80 pesos

BREAKING NEWS: Beginning next 30 September, Dominicans will be able to switch phone companies without the need for changing their number. And this is because starting on this date the portability of numbers begins, which gives customers the right to conserve their phone numbers if they should decide to change the service providers.

As the information campaign was launched regarding the portability of phone numbers, the head of the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (INDOTEL), Jose Rafael Vargas, specified that in order to complete the transfer, users only had to pay a one-time fee of RD $80 pesos each time they changed providers. In order to apply for a change, the customer should go to the company which he/she wishes to use and fill out a request form for number portability.

There, they should offer the corresponding documentation. It is essential not to have any debts pending with the former company. There is no limit on how many times a person can change telephone companies; it can be done as many times as a person wants. The company to which a person is moving his/her phone number will inform that person of the status of the process.

Vargas defined the step as the most important conquest that has been created in favor of the users of the telephone system in the country because it will cause better prices, and better quality of service for the customer.

He asked the telephone companies that now they should emphasize quality in order to retain their customers, and compete in a fair manner, because if they don’t, Indotel will be their judge.

Diario Libre, 25.08.09

Asonahores Trade Show opens today

New trends in Dominican gastronomy

BREAKING NEWS : The National Hotel & Restaurant Association Trade Show opens today at the convention hall of the Dominican Fiesta Hotel. This is the leading Dominican hotel industry trade exhibition with the participation of suppliers to the industry.

The program this year includes talks on solar energy, American cheese, power and water solutions, wine-tasting, sustainable tourism programs, outsourcing payroll, new pastry techniques, new trends in Dominican gastronomy, among other.

DR1, 26.08.09

Aid Plan of Presidency

Economical assistance to Las Terrenas

BREAKING NEWS: SAMANA. - The senator Prim Pujals said he would continue to approve the management of President Leonel Fernández in his development policy for the population and thanked the Social Plan and the Presidency of the Republic to bring food to the needy families of this province.

He explained that he approved near the Congress the initiatives of the chief of the State and of the allied parties which work for the support of the government commitments.

Pujals talked during a food distribution carried out in the sector of Santa Bárbara, under the supervision of Emigdio Sosa, responsible for the Social Plan, and the provincial governor Miguel Bezi. Sosa explained that the assistances were distributed in the more needy sectors, without political exclusion.

He added that the distribution is part of the programs developed by the Government through the Social Plan, which includes also the economical aid to cover health costs, the purchase of building material to repair residences, food expenses, medical cares, studies and the assistance in the geriatric centers, churches, Civil defense, Bodies of the Firemen, the Red Cross, and other organizations.

The places supported on this occasion were the urban centre of the town of Samaná, Majagual, Sánchez, La Pascuala, Santa Bárbara, Los Cocos, Las Galeras, El Limón and Las Terrenas.

Las Terrenas Live, 27.08.09

Cleaning of Beaches

Cosón Beach in Las Terrenas

BREAKING NEWS: On Saturday September 19, from Guibia Beach in Santo Domingo to the sides of the North Yaque River in Santiago, more than ten thousand volunteers on more than 20 coasts of Dominican Republic will send a message of responsibility towards our environment.

Explora ! Dominicana andVida Azul Foundation invite the population to this event of voluntary participation, the largest in its kind.

Hundreds of thousands of volunteers of the five continents will participate to 24^th edition of this event organized every year by Ocean Conservancy on a world level.

Explora ! Dominicana will be responsible for the cleaning of the beaches of Las Terrenas and Cosón.

All the volunteers will receive a kit which includes a cap, 1 tee-shirt, gloves and educational material.

Las Terrenas Live, 28.08.09