Dominican Republic Airbnb regulations start in Aug.

Santo Domingo..- Starting in August of this year, the Government will begin to regulate the technological platforms that facilitate the offer of real estate for short-rent accommodation to tourists and individuals in the country, such as the Airbnb model that accounts for 95% of such negotiations.

The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, said that by that date the first measures will be evaluated to regulate all types of negotiations involving the rental of houses, apartments, cabins and all types of space for recreation or seasonal vacation accommodation.

“The General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII) already has a draft on the mechanism that the Government will use to regulate and tax the operations of the rental model with digital mechanisms” and, in fact, “it has already made a public hearing,” Collado said.

Increased flow of travelers through Las Americas International Airport

The ”summer” vacations in the United States and Europe are attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists of different nationalities who have the Dominican Republic as the leading vacation country and enter mainly through the Las Américas International Airport ( AILA).

Thousands of Dominicans living abroad are also arriving, most from the United States, Puerto Rico, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and other European nations, who come to spend their summer vacations in their country.

All the flights, more than a hundred that are made daily by the Las Américas Airport to and from different destinations, are arriving full of passengers, in many cases, entire families
of both foreigners and Dominicans.

It was reported that some airlines are planning additional flights in their schedules due to the considerable increase in the demand for seats, especially in the order of arrival from various nations and destinations.

Many of the Creoles, families were made up of four and five members, especially minors who left school vacations, mainly from various parts of the United States, come loaded with gifts for their relatives and friends in the country.

Due to the considerable movement of travelers, the staff of the agencies that work at the Las Américas airport has had to be redoubled, allowing prompt and timely attention to tourists and Dominicans.

Both the General Directorate of Immigration and Customs have reinforced their service personnel, which has reduced traveler complaints about wasted time checking their documents and luggage.

Meanwhile, in the passenger departure area, the airport authorities maintain cordons to control the large number of people who travel to the airport every day to look for family and friends.

IMF estimates the country’s economy exhibits a “robust performance”

Evaluation. The international organization highlights the dynamism of the Dominican economy and its remarkable capacity for resilience.

Santo Domingo, DR

The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) considered yesterday that the Dominican economy is experiencing a robust performance and does not present significant imbalances or sustainability problems.

The international organization recently approved the evaluation corresponding to the Article IV mission for the Dominican Republic in 2022, this time without the need to hold an ordinary meeting.

In the report mentioned above, published on July 8, 2022, the IMF highlights the dynamism of the Dominican economy and its remarkable resilience, achieving a solid recovery, expanding 12.3% in 2021 and approximately 5% in relation to the level before the pandemic.

More jobs

The document indicates that this economic growth contributed to solid job growth, highlighting that the economy’s excellent performance was supported by adequate policies, an effective vaccination campaign, and a well-managed process of reopening the productive sectors.

He also cites the remarkable dynamism of the tourism sector, with a faster recovery than expected in the arrival of visitors, which has exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

The IMF positively assessed the role of expansionary monetary policy and its contribution to the recovery during 2021 and, subsequently, in normalizing economic conditions to face inflationary pressures.

It expects inflation to moderate gradually until it converges to the target range of 4% ± 1% during 2023.

It also considers the consolidation process of public finances adequate, significantly reducing general debt.

He highlighted the increase in tax revenues and the expansion of key social programs to support the most vulnerable sectors.

According to the IMF technical team, the macroeconomic fundamentals of the Dominican Republic remain strong, with a current account position that is comfortably financed by Foreign Direct Investment, higher levels of international reserves, and a financial system that satisfactorily exceeded the difficult test of the pandemic.

positive outlook

Regarding the perspectives, the team of the multilateral organization considers that, despite the high level of international uncertainty, the outlook for the Dominican Republic is positive, foreseeing a growth around the potential of 5.0%, both for this year and for the next year 2023.

The report pointed out that the risks in the short term are related to the evolution of the war between Russia and Ukraine, international financial conditions that have become more restrictive, and the possible emergence of new variants of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, in the medium term, the scenario for the Dominican economy is favorable, states the IMF, which understands that investment opportunities, infrastructure improvements, and the various reforms underway would contribute to increasing the potential growth of the economy of the Dominican Republic.

The IMF team positively weighs the electricity sector reforms, supporting the most vulnerable sectors through targeted programs while saluting the efforts to improve policy, governance, transparency, and business climate frameworks. The international organization states that the continued implementation of these measures would send a solid commitment to long-term policies, promoting growth and allowing consensus to be built for future reforms.

KNOW MORE

Highlights support for the electricity sector

Targeting.

The IMF team weighs positively on the reforms of the electricity sector, maintaining support for the most vulnerable sectors through targeted programs.

Coincidence.

The Central Bank of the DR agrees with the vision expressed by the IMF and reiterates its commitment to act proactively to make decisions that contribute to maintaining macroeconomic stability and sustained growth.

Cruises give great boost to tourism in Puerto Plata

Even though the tourism sector is in the so-called “low season,” cruise ships continue to arrive in Puerto Plata weekly.

The vessels arrive at the Amber Cove and Taíno Bay terminals in the bays of Maimón and Puerto Plata, where thousands of foreign visitors set foot on Dominican soil.

According to the Ministry of Tourism ( Mitur ) cruise calendar, in June, 19 cruise ships from different lines arrived in Puerto Plata.

In the report on the arrival of Mitur cruise ships, it was indicated that of the 19 cruise ships that touched the Puerto Plata coast, 11 docked at the Amber Cove terminal in Maimón, and eight arrived at Taíno Bay.

The cruise ships that docked at the Amber Cove terminal in Maimón were: Carnival Mardi Gras (three times), Carnival Princess and Carnival Legend (both two trips), Carnival Magic, and Carnival Freedom (one trip per capita).

While at the port of Taíno Bay, the tourist ships arrived: MSC Seashore (three times), Norwegian Breakaway (twice), Scarlet Lady (twice), and the Celebrity Infinity.

Campaign launched to promote Puerto Plata beaches on social networks

With the interest of promoting the beaches of the North Coast, with their peculiar charms and purity, the Puerto Plata Destination Tourism Cluster (CTDPP), with its member institutions and the support of various influencers from the province, created a promotional campaign that It will take place in different phases during the summer season.

The start of the initiative consisted of an open survey posted on Instagram with which it was intended to link users to obtain the most creative expression that best promoted the enjoyment of the beaches of Puerto Plata.

A jury of the account managers @ilovepuertoplata @centrohistoricopop @memepop, involved in the project, along with part of the Cluster’s executive team, unanimously chose #MIPLAYAESTUPLAYA, a phrase that indicates a sense of belonging and pride and implies hospitality.

The main objective is to stimulate visitation to the province’s beaches through the massive publication of images that evoke the experiences of bathers and beach users. The intention is that content is published on the different social networks with the selected phrase until it turns.

This initiative was born in the Cluster, whose scope and success are linked to the participation of the entire community, colleagues, friends, the media, and public and private institutions. To achieve the integration of all, the instructions with the steps to follow will be disseminated through various media and channels to motivate everyone to reproduce the campaign on their networks.

Likewise, it will seek to incorporate local and national influencers so that they motivate their followers through the publication of content in their respective accounts, which serves as an example of what is being pursued.

INSTRUCTIONS – STEPS TO FOLLOW:

  1. Share the image of your favorite beach in Puerto Plata – it can be a photo or a video-type reel with the beach’s name and/or location.

  2. Post the hashtags #MiPlayaEsTuPlaya and #PuertoPlata and tag the account @discoverpuertoplaa (for reposting content).

  3. Use the song “El Mar” by Ozuna from time 0.09 to achieve a more direct and associative identification of the project.

  • Additional recommendations:

  • Also, upload to the wall (feed), so the content lasts.

  • Finally, use photos without added filters to project naturalness and authenticity.

  • Follow the account @discoverpuertoplata

Dominican Republic breaks record in tourist arrivals

The Dominican Republic remains in vogue for tourists, even breaking its historical records regarding foreign visitor arrivals. This increase in the flow of travelers in the country is also reflected in more excellent air connectivity, with new projects of local and international airlines, making the DR now linked to major emerging destinations.

According to the most recent Mitur statistics on arrivals, in June, the DR attracted a total of 644,861 tourists, a figure that represents 9.9% more than that obtained in the same period of 2018 and 9.8% higher than that of 2019.

The above is evidence that the strategy of the public-private sectors to boost tourism is yielding excellent results, allowing the country to surpass the 2018 arrivals figures, the best year in the history of Dominican tourism to attract foreign visitors.

Cumulatively, the first semester has closed with blue numbers for Quisqueya tourism; a total of 3,547,142 tourists visited the DR as of June 2022. All this makes it possible to project a great year-end in arrivals for the leading tourist destination in the Caribbean.

Of course, to continue to push the so-called industry without chimneys, the government must increase the amount allocated to the international promotion of tourism, as countries that depend much less than the DR on tourism have larger budgets in this regard.

Asonahores projects a record of 7 million tourists this year

The entity highlights the importance of the “all-inclusive” model

Affirms the DR’s tourist offer is diversified with a high level of quality

 

“For this year, we already have projections that we are going to exceed 7 million tourists, which will mark the highest arrival in the history of tourism in the Dominican Republic,” the Association of Hotels and Tourism ( Asonahores ). Rafael Blanco Tejera.

He indicated that “today we can say that we have a full recovery, just a few days ago we reached more than 644,000 tourist arrivals in June, a historical record for that month.”

Cumulatively, the country has managed to attract more than 3.5 million foreign tourists in the first half of 2022, according to statistical data released by the Ministry of Tourism ( Mitur ).

Referring to the all-inclusive model offered by the Dominican Republic, Blanco Tejera considered that this has been “important” in the recovery of the sector after the pandemic.

“It is an operation system in which we have luxury brands and we also have cheap brands, one has one price and another has others, depending on what one pays, it will undoubtedly have a different level of quality,” said the head of Asonahores.

He considered that the tourism sector has advanced, in terms of the diversification of levels “and the offer we have,” as well as an “evolution” of the all-inclusive that has increased its rates; everything depends on what each one can pay.

Ashonorte announces ninth edition of Puerto Plata Golf Classic

The Association of Hotels, Restaurants, and Tourist Companies of the North ( Ashonorte ) announced the details of the ninth edition of the Puerto Plata Golf Classic tournament, which will take place at the Playa Dorada golf course on the 19th and 20th of August this year 2022.

According to the information provided, thanks to the success obtained in the last edition in the delivery mentioned above of the sports fair, the participation of 200 players is expected, including a delegation from Puerto Rico and golfers from the different national clubs.

“For this year, we wanted to innovate, with the realization of a night tournament that will be played on Friday the 19th on Par 3 of hole #7, using light contact balls and where the participants will be able to enjoy a social and camaraderie environment,” said Carlos Rodolí, president of Ashonorte.

Meanwhile, the director of the Puerto Plata Golf Course, Américo Núñez, explained that, like in the previous edition, the categories would be named after the province’s municipalities.

«Category A will bear the name of Puerto Plata, category B Sosúa, Category C Cabarete and the ladies with the name of La Isabela. The modality to play will be Stableford/Best ball,» she detailed.

On her side, the executive director of Ashonorte, Kathy Morillo, thanked the sponsors for their support and recalled that part of the tournament funds are used to develop the social awareness program against sexual exploitation of children and adolescents (CIENAVYT), which they have been running since December 2020.

The tournament, which is already a classic in the north, will be endorsed by Fedogolf and will have great surprises and prizes for the participants.

“The cruise industry is at its best in the Dominican Republic”

La Romana is preparing for a very active cruise season, as announced by  Andrés Fernández , president of the La Romana-Bayahibe Hotel Association ( AHRB ).

He said about 170 cruise stops are expected, with about half a million cruise passengers, specifically La Romana. ​​

“From October 2022, the arrival of these ships will be felt, which is why in the case of La Romana, large investments are being made,” he said, although without specifying amounts.

He added that “every season the cruise ships that arrive are bigger and therefore it is necessary to adapt the ports to receive them and give them the best service.”

Fernandez indicated that the cruise sector is in the best moment in the Dominican Republic, especially with the expansion of some and the construction of others.

According to Traveling with Salvador, I reiterate the need to make large investments since the ports must adapt to the enormous ships that are being built.

Jamaica authorizes direct flights with the Dominican Republic

The Government of Jamaica authorized direct flights with the Dominican Republic.

After the announcement, José E. Marte Piantini, president of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC), highlighted the collaboration of the Dominican ambassador to Jamaica, Angie Shakira Martínez Tejera.

“With joy and enthusiasm, we share that the Jamaican government has authorized direct flights with the Dominican Republic, for the benefit of our national air operators! Thanks to our ambassador Angie Shakira Martínez for her role in this important achievement,» indicated Marte Piantini on Twitter.

In addition, he recalled that “we have several Dominican airlines that can fly to that destination, such as Air Century, Sky High Aviation, Sky Cana , among others.”

The JAC stated that direct flights between the country and Jamaica, in addition to benefiting national air operators, provide dynamism in air connections and promote trade and tourism.

Mitur launches ‘Qualitur’, the first tourist quality badge in the country

The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, led the launch of Qualitur, the first tourist quality distinction in the country, aimed at hoteliers, tour operators, bars and restaurants.

Through this Distinction, it is guaranteed to recognize the continuous improvement and promotion of quality in the services and products offered by this tourism segment, providing credibility and Distinction with a higher degree of customer satisfaction.

Collado highlighted the importance of the badge to achieve greater quality and efficiency in the services received by national and foreign tourists.

“With Qualitur we ratify our commitment to constant improvement and efficiency in the national tourism industry,” he said.

Meanwhile, Roberto Henríquez, Deputy Minister of Quality of Tourism Services of the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur), highlighted the importance and excellent benefits of Qualitur certification to companies and organizations.

He stated that the Distinction would guarantee continuous improvement and quality for excellence in the country’s tourism industry and a greater degree of satisfaction for the traveler, guest, client, or user who requires these services.

He also emphasized that in the satisfaction surveys, 91% of travelers would revisit the Dominican Republic, being “our goal to become a 5-star destination in terms of satisfaction, which is why we are here today to present you with the tool that will help achieve this goal together.”

The official thanked the Inter-American Development Bank ( IDB ) for contributing to the Project from its Comprehensive Tourism and Urban Development Program for the Colonial City of Santo Domingo (PIDTUCCSD).

A second phase of the Qualitur Project will be aimed at tour guides, gift shops (Gift shops), tourist transport, and museums.

Implementing the new badge, which has the Cristal Certification, will boost the competitiveness and development of the tourism sector and will provide confidence in the professionalism of the staff and greater security in the choice of the establishment or services.

To know the requirements to obtain the Qualitur tourist quality badge, you can access qualitur.mitur.gob.do.

Spanish airline will offer three weekly flights to Madrid

Santo Domingo, DR.

The Spanish airline Plus Ultra inaugurated a new route between Santo Domingo and Madrid to add more flights from the country to that European city this Friday.

The airline will offer three weekly flights.

According to Fernando García Manso, president of the company, the inauguration of this new route is a symptom of the gradual improvement in the economy as travel restrictions between countries are relaxed.

“We hope that the gradual return to normality will allow us to continue opening new routes and expanding existing ones to meet the growing demand of passengers and to continue fulfilling our business plans,” he said.

He specified that all passengers traveling on these new routes would enjoy high-quality services and greater comfort on board, such as various seatsand menus.

Likewise, they will be able to choose between three classes with differentiated services after the recent announcement of the new Premier Economy class, which occupies an intermediate space between Executive and Economy.

Plus Ultra also announced last month the addition of three new aircraft to its fleet: the three Airbus 330/200 -in addition to the three Airbus 340 that the company already has- have the capacity for 299 passengers, 24 in Business and 275 in Economy).

The company’s six aircraft will be used interchangeably on the different routes it operates based on demand.

Likewise, Plus Ultra has just announced an agreement with AccesRail to jointly market its flights with AVE routes between Madrid and all the Renfe high-speed network destinations, giving passengers more facilities with a final destination anywhere in Spain.

This airline offers flights to Caracas Venezuela; Lima Peru; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Bogota and Cartagena Colombia.

Gov. to repair 300 bridges nationwide

Santo Domingo.- The Minister of Public Works, Deligne Ascención, informed this Wednesday that this entity intends to intervene around 300 bridges in different parts of the country that present different levels of deterioration that deserve to be corrected.
He stated that one of the aspects of the State’s responsibility to which much attention has been paid is the maintenance of tunnels, highways and bridges.
He specified that an inventory of the conditions of the bridges was made and they determined that at least 300 require intervention.

Plus Ultra launches its flights between Madrid, Santo Domingo and Samaná

The connection to Samaná is made in alliance with the TTOO Soltour

The airline confirms its commitment to long-haul flights

 

Plus Ultra is launching this Friday, July 1, a new route between Santo Domingo and Madrid, with three weekly departures, in addition to another weekly flight, which will be offered by the tour operator Soltour, from Samaná.

According to the airline, the launching of the new routes coincides with the start of the tourist season and responds to the recovery of the tourist demand and the trips of the many Dominicans in Spain looking for financial and quality services to visit their relatives.

Passenger traffic between the Dominican Republic and Spain in 2019 was 660 thousand, including some of the 75,000 Dominican nationals living in Spain, tourists, and also business travelers.

In that sense, Fernando García Manso, president of the company, said that ”the inauguration of this new route confirms our renewed commitment to long-haul flights to Latin America and are symptomatic of the gradual improvement of the economic situation as travel restrictions between countries are relaxed. We expect that the gradual return to normalcy will allow us to continue to open new routes and expand existing ones to meet growing passenger demand and continue to deliver on our business plans.”

All passengers traveling on the new routes will be able to enjoy high-quality services and the best onboard comfort, such as a variety of seats, menus, and benefits of its PREMIER PLUS loyalty program, among others. They will also be able to choose from three classes with differentiated services, following the recent announcement of the new Economy Premier class, which occupies an intermediate space between Business and Economy.

Plus Ultra also announced last month the addition of three new aircraft to its fleet: the three Airbus 330/200s – in addition to the three Airbus 340s the company already has – have a capacity for 299 passengers (24 in Business and 275 in Economy). The company’s six aircraft will be used interchangeably on the different routes, depending on demand.

Dominican films have a US$45.4M support

Santo Domingo.- Legislation to promote the development of cinema in the Dominican Republic remains firm.
This is established in a report provided to Diario Libre by the General Directorate of Cinema in which the approval of national and international film projects whose general budgets are around three billion pesos (US$45.4 million).
The national projects covered by article 34 of Law 108-10 that are being filmed at the time of this story are “Pandemic Elections,” a production by Juan Basanta and Mauricio Vengochea, the latter advisor to President Luis Abinader on matters of strategic communication. The direction is by the filmmaker Basant.-The young filmmaker and television producer Giancarlo Beras-Goico began the filming of the documentary “Laspalmas bailan solas”, work which he also directed.
Another film production that is being produced under article 34 of the aforementioned law is “Granito de Arena” by filmmaker Alan Nadal and “Trágico final (It hurts to say), a production by Carlos Salcedo whose direction will be Francisco Rodríguez.

Puerto Plata and Samaná, two tourist centers on Abinader’s agenda

President Luis Abinader will travel this weekend to the Samaná, Puerto Plata, and Valverde provinces, where he will exhaust a work schedule that includes inaugurations of works, groundbreaking, meeting with neighborhood associations, delivery of Supérate cards, and lunch with young people.

On Sunday, Abinader conducted his various visits to the province of Samaná, where days ago, he announced that in July of this year, 2022, the construction of a cruise port in the province of Samaná would begin.

He said that in the next few days, he would be offering more information on the details of the work, which he said, together with the Cabo Rojo cruise port, Pedernales, which will be ready next year, as well as other infrastructure projects that will contribute to continuing increasing the arrival of cruise passengers to the country.

Later, he will attend the PROPEEP event, at the Andrea De Peña School, in the María Luisa Sector, and the presentation of the Malecón Project, on the Samaná Malecón.

Later, he will lead the inaugurations of the Weighing Station in the Aguada sector and the Samaná Bay Hotel.

In the afternoon, he will give the groundbreaking for the construction of the Samaná City entrance and hold a lunch with 250 young entrepreneurs, professionals, athletes, civil society, and community members at the Samaná Sports Center.

The head of state will conclude his weekend schedule with the inauguration of the Limón Bridge and Streets and the Las Terrenas Polytechnic in the La Granja Sector.

Giving continuity to his agenda for the weekend, on Saturday, the president will inaugurate the infrastructure of the Puerto Plata Air Base at 10:30 in the morning.

Then, he will lead the delivery of 300 Get Over Yourself cards to fishermen at the Provincial Sports Center.

Likewise, he will attend the first act, You of the General Directorate of Strategic and Special Projects of the Presidency (PROPEEP), at the Concepción Gómez Matos School, Padre las Casas sector.

Also, he will lead the National Health Insurance (SENASA) act in front of the Puerto Plata Fortress, Montemar sector.

Later, he will give the groundbreaking for construction work on the Economic Canteens at the INESPRE premises. Later, he will participate in a lunch with 300 young entrepreneurs, professionals, athletes, civil society, and community members at the Iberostar Costa Dorada Hotel.

President Abinader’s schedule also includes the inauguration of the 911 Offices and the opening of the Exhibition “1961: the year of freedom.”

Later, he will preside over the opening ceremony of the Mercado San Felipe, on Calle 30 de Marzo, corner Professor Juan Bosch. In addition, she will attend the inauguration of the Long Night of the Museums in the San Felipe Fortress, coordinated by the Ministry of Culture.

The president will also lead the act of delivery of Housing in the El Javillar sector, coordinated by the Ministry of Housing and Buildings.

In the afternoon, President Abinader will be recognized by the Dominican Press and Tourism Association ( Adompretur ) at the Lifestyle Hotel.

The president’s agenda began this past Friday, 24, in Mao, Valverde, with the opening ceremony for constructing a Biodiesel Plant in Jaibón at 11:00 in the morning.

Later, he will hold a meeting/lunch with Neighborhood Councils at the Northwest Regional University Center CURNO/UASD.

The head of state will conclude his agenda on Friday in the Valverde province with the opening ceremony to construct the “Brisas del Atardecer” apartment project.

In June the tourism sector generated some 700 million dollars with the arrival of more than 600 thousand tourists

Santo Domingo, DR

The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, detailed this Monday that during June 644, 861 foreignersarrived in the country, which represents a growth of 9.9 percent more than that registered in the same period of 2018 and 2019.

The presence of these tourists generated approximately 739 million dollars in profits in the sector.

During the presentation of statistics on tourism behavior, Collado also specified that during the first six months of this year, 3.5 million tourists have come to vacation in the Dominican Republic, generating “almost 4 billion dollars” in income.

He noted that hotel occupancy exceeds 71 ​​percent in general terms, and the average stay is ten days.

The airports that received the most significant flow of visitors were Punta Cana and Las Américas.

The provinces of main stay are La Altagracia, Santo Domingo and Santiago .

He also stated that the sustained growth in the arrival of visitors is not only by air but also by sea.

“A total of 72,689 cruise passengers did not visit in June, which represents 25 percent more than those who arrived in the same period of 2019,” he specified.

projections

Collado guaranteed that in the months to come, tourism will continue to reach blue numbers and predicted that this year will close with more than 7 million visitors, “a historical number in the arrival of tourists to the Dominican Republic.”

Tourist flow generated RD$3.4 billion

Santo Domingo, DR.
According to Central Bank statistics, the flow of tourists arriving in the country in the first three months of this year left the economy with RD$3,336.3 million in fiscal income.The information, which is posted on its institutional website, reflects that RD$2,167.0 million was collected for the tax on the departure of passengers abroad through airports and ports, RD$71,648,935 million for the tax on the departure of passengers abroad by land, and RD$1,097.6 million for the tourist card.Between January and May of this year, the accumulated tourist flow registered 2,902,280 non-resident visitors entering the country and 1,467,173 additional travelers in the same period of 2021.In May alone, the arrival of non-resident passengers was 561,323 visitors.The average daily expenditure and stay of tourists visiting the country this year were US$134.83, and the average stay per night was US$9.38.

By destination

Regarding the accumulated reception of foreigners according to regions of residence, between January and May, 57.1% of visitors arrived from North America, 26.3% from Europe, 12.9% from South America, 3.3% from Central America and the Caribbean, and the remaining 0.4% from Asia and the Rest of the World.

Among the issuing countries that showed increases in arrivals during the first five months of 2022 with respect to the same period of 2021 is the United States of America with 400,193 additional passengers, Canada (291,612), France (104,868), Russia (91,894), England (76,718), Germany (72,329), among others.

Recreation

During the five months elapsed in 2022, 86.5% of tourists reported that recreation was the main reason for their visit to the country. Likewise, 74.4% said that they used hotel establishments as their lodging option.

Regarding the age of visitors, 54.5% ranged from 21 to 49 years old, while 51.3% were female and 48.7% were male.

Residents
Between January and May, 300,094 passengers arrived in the country, 247,363 Dominicans and 52,731 foreigners.

Non-residents
As tourists, 2,902,280 passengers arrived in the country, of which 505,416 were Dominicans, and 2,396,864 were foreigners. The total variation of foreigners was 1,432,268.

Construction of the cruise port in Samaná will start in July

The President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, announced that in July of this year 2022 the construction of a cruise port in the Samanáprovince would begin.

He said that in the next few days, he would be offering more information on the details of the work, which he said, together with the cruise port of Cabo Rojo, Pedernales, which will be ready next year, as well as other infrastructure projects that will contribute to continuing increasing the arrival of cruise passengers to the country.

The president announced during a press conference that he led together with the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, to announce that the Dominican Republic will host the 28th Annual Conference of the Florida and Caribbean Cruise Association ( FCCA, for its acronym in English), scheduled to take place from October 12 to 14.

In this sense, Collado highlighted that in May of the current year in the Dominican ports, ten lines carried out 32 operations, of which 19 were cruise ships and 13 fertile, in which 82,199 cruise passengers arrived.

According to Diario Libre, the official reported that from June 2021 to last June, 754,760 cruise passengers arrived in Dominican territory in 458 operations carried out by 51 cruise lines.

It is recalled that this is the second time that the Conference of the Cruise Association of Florida and the Caribbean has been held in the DR, the largest cruise trade fair in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central,and South America, where more than 60 will participate. Cruise executives, including presidents and directors, top government leaders from more than 40 countries, and more than 500 representatives from around the world.

Puerto Plata and Samaná, two tourist centers on Abinader’s agenda

President Luis Abinader will travel this weekend to the Samaná, Puerto Plata, and Valverde provinces, where he will exhaust a work schedule that includes inaugurations of works, groundbreaking, meeting with neighborhood associations, delivery of Supérate cards, and lunch with young people.

On Sunday, Abinader conducted his various visits to the province of Samaná, where days ago, he announced that in July of this year, 2022, the construction of a cruise port in the province of Samaná would begin.

He said that in the next few days, he would be offering more information on the details of the work, which he said, together with the Cabo Rojo cruise port, Pedernales, which will be ready next year, as well as other infrastructure projects that will contribute to continuing increasing the arrival of cruise passengers to the country.

Later, he will attend the PROPEEP event, at the Andrea De Peña School, in the María Luisa Sector, and the presentation of the Malecón Project, on the Samaná Malecón.

Later, he will lead the inaugurations of the Weighing Station in the Aguada sector and the Samaná Bay Hotel.

In the afternoon, he will give the groundbreaking for the construction of the Samaná City entrance and hold a lunch with 250 young entrepreneurs, professionals, athletes, civil society, and community members at the Samaná Sports Center.

The head of state will conclude his weekend schedule with the inauguration of the Limón Bridge and Streets and the Las Terrenas Polytechnic in the La Granja Sector.

Giving continuity to his agenda for the weekend, on Saturday, the president will inaugurate the infrastructure of the Puerto Plata Air Base at 10:30 in the morning.

Then, he will lead the delivery of 300 Get Over Yourself cards to fishermen at the Provincial Sports Center.

Likewise, he will attend the first act, You of the General Directorate of Strategic and Special Projects of the Presidency (PROPEEP), at the Concepción Gómez Matos School, Padre las Casas sector.

Also, he will lead the National Health Insurance (SENASA) act in front of the Puerto Plata Fortress, Montemar sector.

Later, he will give the groundbreaking for construction work on the Economic Canteens at the INESPRE premises. Later, he will participate in a lunch with 300 young entrepreneurs, professionals, athletes, civil society, and community members at the Iberostar Costa Dorada Hotel.

President Abinader’s schedule also includes the inauguration of the 911 Offices and the opening of the Exhibition “1961: the year of freedom.”

Later, he will preside over the opening ceremony of the Mercado San Felipe, on Calle 30 de Marzo, corner Professor Juan Bosch. In addition, she will attend the inauguration of the Long Night of the Museums in the San Felipe Fortress, coordinated by the Ministry of Culture.

The president will also lead the act of delivery of Housing in the El Javillar sector, coordinated by the Ministry of Housing and Buildings.

In the afternoon, President Abinader will be recognized by the Dominican Press and Tourism Association ( Adompretur ) at the Lifestyle Hotel.

The president’s agenda began this past Friday, 24, in Mao, Valverde, with the opening ceremony for constructing a Biodiesel Plant in Jaibón at 11:00 in the morning.

Later, he will hold a meeting/lunch with Neighborhood Councils at the Northwest Regional University Center CURNO/UASD.

The head of state will conclude his agenda on Friday in the Valverde province with the opening ceremony to construct the “Brisas del Atardecer” apartment project.