FEBRUARY 2009
The asphalting in Las Terrenas, yes…
… and after ?
BREAKING NEWS : The critics of the inhabitants of Las Terrenas, in front of the works of roads and streets constructions in one month by the Tourism Ministry and the Las Terrenas Town Hall, shut-up.
If this construction work is almost finished, there is another one that should have began already, the one of a true communication about the tourism in Las Terrenas.
After the opening of the International Airport El Catey – Samaná on November 6th, 2006, after the improvement of the security in the country and in Las Terrenas, after the opening of the Santo Domingo – Samaná highway on June 1rst, 2008, the moment to put in place a true communication policy about the attractions of Las Terrenas and its surroundings has come.
If the government already do this work in the many international fairs of tourism, it’s important to understand that it doesn’t do it only for the Samaná peninsula, and let-alone for Las Terrenas.
If big locals Real Estate projects communicate through different medias (booklets, magazines…), we have to imagine that it’s not enough.
The most accessible visitors, the most close to us, are the Capital ones. So, when there will be a professional communication, that bring together all the professional actors of the hotel and restaurant business in Las Terrenas, toward a single and same goal: Make people appreciate the quality of our services ?
Sylvain MAUFRAIS, 02.02.09
Cleaning of Beaches’ Day
The day includes the beaches of Las Terrenas, Guayacanes, Juan Dolio, Boca Chica and Andrés
BREAKING NEWS: Las Terrenas, Samaná. - The Minister of Tourism, Fransisco Javier Garcia, arrived this morning in Las Terrenas, in order to start the day of cleaning of the beaches, which, in addition to Las Terrenas includes other beaches of the country.
Engineer Máximo Bisono, in order to contribute to the development of this operation, jointly organized with the representative of Tourism in Las Terrenas, Elsa de León, provided a machine which will facilitate the harvest of the algae and waste on the beach.
With the slogan a clean beach for me
, the Ministry of Tourism, (Sectur), began this Tuesday the National Plan of Beaches Cleaning, a day which at the time of its first stage will include five beaches of the country, located in three different tourist poles.
They are the beaches of Las Terrenas, Guayacanes, Juan Dolio, Boca Chica and Andrés, for which 120 volunteers will work.
The Minister of Tourism, Francisco Javier García, while organizing the start of the cleaning work, said that in addition to the volunteers, the town halls and the social institutions would also take part in this day, in order to give a systematic follow-up and to maintain the cleanliness of the public beaches.
He explained that, with the cleaning of the beaches and of their environment, they will also reinforce the signs and the delimitation of car parks’ spaces, so that the vehicles do not cause damage in sand with oil and fuels residues.
Javier García declared, moreover, that waste of the beaches will not be packed in plastic bags but that they will be in jute bags, which is an organic material, reusable and which does not contaminate the environment.
With this action we seek to have clean beaches and that with their beautiful environment, they draw foreigners and Dominicans to enjoy their natural beauty
, Javier García expressed. After the work of cleaning, there will be a follow-up committee which will have the necessary customer human, equipment and material support to maintain the cleanliness.
During the beginning of work, Javier García was accompanied by the under-secretary of tourism for the Province of Samaná, Elsa de León, by the director of the Strategic Center of Tourist Development, Mercedes Tejeda, and by the director of the Cleaning and Ordering Plan of the Public Beaches, Ulises Regino; and by Gabriel Rodríguez, collaborator of the Secretary.
The Plan
The first phase of the National Plan of Cleaning of the Beaches began this Tuesday in Las Terrenas. This work will last until February 6. On February 11, they will start the cleaning of the beach of Guayacanes, which will last to February 18; the 24, the cleaning will continue in Juan Dolio, till March 2 and five days later, on March 7, work will continue in Boca Chica and Andrés, this until March 18.
Javier García reiterated that once the work relative to this day is completed, a follow-up committee would be set up with the support of Sectur, with the goal that these leisure and recreation spaces profit to Dominicans and foreigners.
Direction of Press and Communications of Sectur, 03.02.09
Work begins on Dominican NW road network
The Boulevard is the complement for the access to Samaná Peninsula
BREAKING NEWS : The Public Works Ministry (SEOPC) and the company Tourist Boulevard of the Atlantic yesterday began the road project to link the tourist communities between Nagua and Samaná (northeast), at a cost of US $160 million.
Public Works minister Victor Diaz Rúa said the 123 kilometer-long Boulevard will take two years to build, and includes the repair and modernization of the Nagua-Samaná highway, and the construction of a road between El Catey International Airport and the tourist town Las Terrenas. This work was demanded for years to have a real road link that allows a greater economic development in this point of the country.
The concessionary company will to rebuild the road network, that starts in Nagua and links the towns Sanchez, Cruce del Limon, Cruce Abra Grande, Las Terrenas, Balata and El Catey.
The existing structures will be used to improve the parallel and diagonal drainage in the sections to be repaired, the pavement will be recycled and a new asphalt layer will be placed on the highway, which will be signalized according to international safety norms.
Diaz said the Boulevard is the complement for the access to Samaná Peninsula, which includes the new airport at El Catey and the recently-opened Santo Domingo-Samaná highway.
Dominican Today, 05.02.09
The National Office of Meteorology issues an alert for eight provinces
Frontal system over Samaná
BREAKING NEWS: The National Office of Meteorology issued an alert in the weather forecast for the residents of eight provinces of Dominican Republic in order they the necessary precaution measures against possible floods and landslides.
These provinces are Montecristi, Dajabón, Santiago Rodríguez, Valverde, Puerto Plata, Maria Trinidad Sánchez, Duarte (especially Bajo Yuna) and Samaná (particularly Sánchez).
Frontal system
The organization indicates that weak to moderate rains will fall over the entire National territory because of a frontal system which is moving over the country.
The downpours will be more intense on the North-Western, Northern, North-Eastern, East and on the Central Cordillera areas.
The weather forecast indicates that the maritime conditions continue with abnormal winds and waves, and prohibits the boats’ navigation.
A progressive fall of the temperatures and wind gusts are expected during all the weekend.
Las Terrenas Live, 06.02.09
Los Haïtises National Park
A guarantee for the future
BREAKING NEWS : « I became aware of the present and future importance for the country which the National Park of Los Haitises has after an interesting and didactic course trough this fundamental protected sector, having one of the largest biodiversity of the Caribbean and with the greatest index of pluviometry of the country.
Together with the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources and his team, I could see and check the great potential of the zone from the environmental and tourist point of view and the persistence of the authorities to apply a legitimate policy of safeguarding to this so fragile and so vital place.
To see and to cross the ecotourist ways of Los Haïtises was a very interesting experience just like to enjoy the extraordinary natural beauty of its principal attractions such as for example: the ensenada of Caño Hondo, forests of mangroves, the Bay of San Lorenzo inside the Bay of Samaná, the caves: Arena, Willy, San Gabriel and La Línea, the Cayo Los Pájaros, to penetrate in Ojo del Cielo and to cross the small Adriana rio since its birth till its mouth, approximately two kilometers of course.
I must recognize the work carried out by the current authorities of Environment and Natural Resources for the safeguarding of this sanctuary which shelters more than 100 bird species on 230 existing in the country and of the caves where are petroglyphs and pictograms of great historical and archaeological value.
To go within the National Park of Los Haitises with Doctor Jaime David Fernández Mirabal and engineer Eleuterio Martínez, responsible of the technical team, to hear the explanations regarding the importance of the Park on the components which give a great value to the zone and on the work of protection, to learn that results depends of the future water supply for a big part of our population, was very enriching.
Within the National Park of Los Haitises, there are still a hundred families cultivating some plots, people who will be dislodged, compensated and reinstalled in other sectors, to be able to stamp the national park and to apply a radical environmental security policy belonging to a vast and rigorous national security policy which protects and guarantees all the national resources.
While walking in the mangroves, Doctor Fernández Mirabal spoke with a lot of enthusiasm of Los Haitises as a guarantee for the future. »
Freddy Sandoval, Diario Libre, 09.02.09
Dominican tourism mogul Rainieri to head beleaguered National Park
To promote and protect the park
BREAKING NEWS : Tourism mogul Frank Rainieri today became honorary director of the Los Haitises National Park, and sworn in by Environment minister Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal.
Fernandez Mirabal said the president of the Punta Cana Group is a successful businessman who’s shown efficiency, for which he’s confident he’ll protect and promote the park.
He said Rainieri’s appointment is based on his record as a tourism leader and in private management.
Rainieri said he felt forced
to assume that responsibility, without pay, to improve the park.
He said he’ll work together with the farmers to solve the problems in Los Haitises; a protected area he said has been a source of discord for a long time, adding that among his proposals is to create a foundation to collect funds for its protection.
Dominican Today, 13.02.09
Dominican Tourism chief starts project to fix all access roads
The plan started with the asphalting of the road section Cruce de Molenillo-Las Terrenas
BREAKING NEWS: The Tourism Ministry (Sectur) began the asphalting of the road section Cruce de Molenillo-Las Terrenas, as part of the plan to recover the access roads of all the tourism regions across the country.
Tourism minister Francisco Javier Garcia said all the AC-30 asphalt to repair all the access roads in all tourism regions has been acquired.
The official made the announcement to mark the start of the National Beach Cleanup and Reordering Plan
, which includes a cleanup and installation of road signs to five beaches, located in three tourism regions, in coordination with government agencies, city councils and social organizations.
The official said there won’t be a single pothole in the access roads to those areas before yearend.
As to Samaná, Garcia affirmed the repair of all the roads from Sanchez to Las Terrenas has already begun, including the 19 kilometers from Cruce de Molenillo to Las Terrenas, which he said would become a model tourism region.
This plan includes better sidewalks, gutters, road signs in every town and the construction of parking lots near the beaches, to keep vehicles from parking on the sand and prevent fuel residues from polluting the water and sand.
Dominican Today, 16.02.09
Dominican Republic is a consolidated and in full expansion destination
According to the Tourism Minister
BREAKING NEWS: The Dominican Republic is currently a « mature » destination, which enriches its tourist offer with the development of beautiful emergent zones, like Bávaro-Punta Cana, La Romana-Bayahíbe and Samaná, underlined the Minister of Tourism, Francisco Javier García.
The Dominican minister made this statement within the framework of the XII Latin-American Conference of Tourism Ministers and Company Managers (CIMET).
The minister talk about Samaná as an enthralling emergent enclave, where the Government made an important investment with the construction of the Santo Domingo-Samaná road, which shortened the way of four hour and half in two hours of car.
The secretary of Tourism discussed with his counterparts and vice-ministers of the area on the subject « Analyzes of Investment of Spanish Tourist Employers in Latin America », within the framework of the Table of the Ministers of Latin America, led by Francisco Vásquez.
In another order, the Dominican Minister recalled the manner of managing the tourism portfolio whereas a crisis affects the world.
He expressed that the crisis always had two effects, the real, objective effect and the psychological one, this is why the manner with which this crisis is managed can have a considerable psychological effect on the users, the tourism customers.
He stressed that the tourist sector survived to great crises, like it is the case for the increase of the international oil prices which reached 147 dollars per barrel, the real crisis of the United States, the American financial crisis, that of the values markets and the worldwide food production crisis.
Las Terrenas Live, 18.02.09
Balcones del Atlántico: an eco-friendly project
Located in the paradisiacal zone of Las Terrenas
BREAKING NEWS: Balcones del Atlántico is a project thought and conceived by engineer Máximo Bisonó according to a philosophy of environment protection. The project will help the recovery of the tropical forest which disappeared in the zone and which can be only observed in the mountainous area of Las Terrenas.
It is the opportunity to recover what formed before bulky forests of gumbo libo trees, gru gru palm trees, citrus fruits and many other plants and to protect the fauna associated with the latter.
This complex preserved the typical plantations of coconut trees of the beach zones and which belong to the recent history, when the colonists sowed coconuts brought from the Pacific on the coastal areas of Samaná and of the North East. The coconut is part of the typical local culinary which contains it in almost all the dishes.
Lakes and cascades are integrated in the design of the project, bringing the water element, and thus allowing repopulation of birds and of a vast diversity of animal species.
Balcones del Atlántico put plants which produce fruits for the birds and nectar for the bees and which constitute a refuge for the two species and other types of fauna.
The company is especially concerned by the environment, because now the world awakes in front of the reality of what was damaged and of what endangers the survival of species.
In his book « The future of life », Eduard O. Wilson shows, with an unusual optimism and very clear and concise data, that if we do not change seriously the way to interact with our environment, in few time we will reduce our quality of life to levels where it would be almost impossible to support the human life.
Las Terrenas Live, 19.02.09
Beach Volley Contest
Opened to all young people of Las Terrenas
BREAKING NEWS: LAS TERRENAS. -The plays for classification and selection for the tournament of beach volley will begin on Tuesday February 24 from 03.00 p.m to 05:00 p.m in Punta Popy. They will continue on Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m and from 03:00 to 05:00 p.m, at the same place.
The beach volley tournament is a joint activity of the Sporting League of Las Terrenas which coordinates the event locally, of Esperanza International which provides the equipment, the trainers and the funds and of the Foundation Mahatma Gandhi which sponsors the activity of collaboration.
The contest is opened to all the young girls and young men as from 12 year-old of the commune of Las Terrenas.
The matches of selection will have the participation of professional trainers and the shirts and the balloons will be provided by Esperanza International.
We invite all the youth of Las Terrenas, both of the urban area and of the districts of the village or the neighboring hills, to take part in the event.
For more information, please contact Moisés Martínez at the League or José Bourget at the Foundation Mahatma Gandhi.
Las Terrenas Live, 20.02.09
Too many taxes concerns top Dominican telecoms chief
Additional ones demanded by the city councils
BREAKING NEWS: The president of Claro and Codetel, the country’s biggest telecoms, said high taxes on the sector is placing its future at risk, as well as the country’s high world rank in that services industry.
Oscar Peña cited the 16% ITBIS Tax, a 10% Selective Consumption Tax (ISC) and also the 2% Contribution to Telecom Development (CDT), a fund to sponsor programs through the Dominican Telecom Institute (Indotel).
He said whereas the selective tax is applied to the telecomm services in Dominican Republic, other countries don’t do so because it’s a product of basic need.
However he recognized Indotel’s effort to gradually eliminate the ISC.
Peña said he’s concerned with an additional tax demanded by the city councils, which would be of 3% and there wouldn’t be a logical manner to apply it because the telecoms have a national reach.
He cited as an example that a call from Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata goes through many municipalities, for which it wouldn’t be possible to establish how the tax will be levied.
Dominican Today, 23.02.09
Second day with the whales
For the residents
BREAKING NEWS: Las Terrenas. – The Flora Tours excursion agency proposes its Second day with the whales for the residents
with the transport Las Terrenas / Samaná, the entry to the sanctuary, drinks without alcohol and a meal in the Cayo Levantado Island included for 2100 RD $.
If you want to go to Samaná with your own vehicle, the price will be 1900 RD $ without transport. The reservations could be made at the Flora Tours office in the Paseo.
The places are limited. Accompanied by Nicolas and Patrice.
Sunday 01/03/2009 Departure 9:30 a.m.
Morning free in Cayo Levantado - Meal type buffet included.
At 01:45 p.m. the fabulous spectacle of the humpback whales will start…
Nicolas Warembourg - Flora Tours, The Nature Excursions, 24.02.09
Phone: 809.240.5482 - Cell : 809.360.2793 - www.flora-tours.net
No booze ban on Dominican Independence Day
Limits to sell alcohol lifted
BREAKING NEWS : The Interior and Police Ministry announced Wednesday that it has lifted the limit to sell alcohol starting Thursday, a measure adopted on occasion of the events for Independence Day, February 27.
Starting after midnight Thursday until the 28th there’ll be no limits on the sale of alcohol in night clubs, bars and restaurants, although the measure excludes colmadones. The limits on the hours to sell alcoholic drinks exclude Christmas and New Year, as well as national events.
Dominican Today, 27.02.09
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