Central Bank raises benchmark rate again, now to 8% per year

Santo Domingo.- The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) increased its monetary policy interest rate by 25 basis points, from 7.75% to 8.00% per year. In this way, the rate of the permanent liquidity expansion facility (1-day repos) goes to 8.50% per year and the rate of overnight deposits to 7.50% per year.

This decision is based on an exhaustive evaluation of the recent behavior of the world economy and its impact on inflation, considering geopolitical conflicts and global cost shocks.

The BCRD indicated that price dynamics continue to be affected by external factors that are more persistent than expected, associated with the extraordinary increase in the prices of oil and other raw materials, as well as the high costs of international container transport and other disruptions in supply chains.

Central Bank: Dominican economy to grow 5.5%

Santo Domingo.- The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic reported today that the Dominican economy registered an average growth of 5.5% January to July this year.

In a press document, it reported that the Monthly Indicator of Economic Activity (IMAE) registers an accumulated average variation of 5.5% in said period, compared to the same of the previous year, after having experienced an interannual increase of 4.7% in July, similar to the growth rates of April and May of 4.7 and 4.8%, respectively.

According to the agency, the expansion accumulated so far allows maintaining the forecast that the economy would be ending the year with an increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) around its potential, in line with the projections of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

Dominican surfer Brandon Sanford Viñas: “My love for the sea is stronger than ever”

Santo Domingo, DR
After dedicating part of his life being a servant of tourism as a guide for Dominicans and foreigners visiting Cabarete (municipal district of the municipality of Sosua, Puerto Plata) and its beautiful beaches for the first time, Dominican surfer Brandon Sanford Viñas has decided to pursue his dream: to be one of the best surfers of tubular and big waves.

At 33 years of age, as a country representative, he has been invited to embark on one of the most important water sports events worldwide, the Mexpipe Warriors 2022, and he is determined to succeed.

Speaking to Listin Diario, Sanford Viñas indicated that his interest and love for surfing were born when he was just a child. The young athlete grew up watching from his house, which had the “Encuentro Beach” behind it, neighbors and local boys older than him surfing. He watched them enough, so much so that, when he was only six years old, he was already inside the sea, catching waves.

“My mom saw that I really liked this water sport and on a trip to Puerto Rico she gave me my first surfboard. Little by little I got more into the waves and it ended up being my passion. That was my first love and to this day it still is,” said Sanford Viñas with great enthusiasm and excitement.

After recalling the beginnings of his encounter with the sea, he commented that many things have happened.

He began to take surfing more seriously, and at the age of 14, he won his first international contest in Puerto Rico. Years later, he became Sub-junior Latin American Champion (2004), then Open for six consecutive years, and placed third in the Master of the Ocean event, ahead of strong competitors from around the world.

“I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count all the events I’ve attended, small and large. I’ve gone 30 times to different events around the world to represent the country. Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, California, Florida, Brazil, Nicaragua, Peru, Ecuador”, the athlete points out.

He is interested in tourism in the Dominican Republic

After some time competing, the young man stopped and felt that there was a need for a service that would provide a fun experience for Dominicans and foreigners in the mecca of water sports in the country, Cabarete.

Sanford becomes a tour guide and founded a company called Dominican Surf Trips to share the gift of the beauty of surfing in the Dominican Republic.

“This country…many people who even live here don’t know it, but it’s a treasure in terms of the water sports and beaches we have,” the surfer points out.

Under the slogan “Somewhere in DR,” in Spanish, “en alguna parte de RD,” he would take tourists to get to know secret and hidden beaches where surfing was practiced.

“Surfing is very selfish, it’s not a group sport, you always want to hide your favorite beach and your favorite wave so you can enjoy yourself. If there are many people trying to catch that wave, the fun is not the same (…) I used to take my clients to very nice, secret beaches,” commented Sanford Viñas.

“My love of the sea is stronger than ever.”

Sanford is at a stage in his life where he is focused on his dream and wants to make it a reality. He emphasized that he feels an innate commitment to the youth of the Dominican Republic.

“The generations coming behind me deserve someone who will inspire and motivate them. And right now, I feel that I am ready to give them good motivation and inspiration. That’s why my love for the sea is stronger than ever,” the ‘Foil Surfing’ lover expressed.

For Sanford Viñas, surfing is his life, and he describes the sport as a lifestyle. “The moment you grab the board and catch that wave, you free yourself from many things in life,” he said.

Going for the Mexpipe Warriors 2022

Viñas’ true passion has always been to chase the biggest waves possible.

The Mexipipe Warrior event is an activity that takes place in the silver Puerto Escondido, located in Mexico, one of the strongest wave beaches, and will be held in September 2022. There, tube surfers from around the world will be summoned.

Sanford Viñas obtained a place on the event’s guest list that honors the legendary Mexican surfer Oscar Moncada. The young competitor indicated that he feels proud to be representing the country.

“I feel super good representing my country. People like the Dominican Republic. I feel proud when I get to another country representing the Dominican Republic,” said the young competitor born in Florida, United States, but raised in the Dominican Republic since he was one year old by his Dominican mother.

“It is an honor to have that title. Not just anyone can make it and it’s an invitation I have. I would love to win,” he added.

Rigorous preparation

“I’m preparing,” said Sanford Viñas,” and explained that the preparations for the Mexpipe Warriors 2022 consist of three fundamental pillars: technical, physical, and mental preparation.

“I am swimming, doing exercises, especially breathing exercises. I go to a beach and dive with a rock and hold my breath as far as I can, I do this to simulate a crash in a big wave,” he explained.

“I prepare my mind so that the little devil doesn’t tell me “that wave is too big,” “I don’t think you can do it,” building a strong mind,” he added.

Mavi Gök Aviation plans to open flight with Russian tourists to Dominican Republic

New Turkish airline Mavi Gök Aviation (MGA) plans to take Russian tourists from Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and Kazan to resorts in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Thailand via Anatolia.

“We sell resort tourism, and we want to do it all over the world. For this reason, we favor a fully collegial model. We will strive to grow in any market where we find potential,” said the airline’s CEO, Ilker Göchan.

He explained that such flights are scheduled to start from the beginning of October until the end of 2022, according to Krasnaia Viezna.

“MGA has three Boeing 737-800 aircraft in its fleet and plans to acquire another three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, he added.

The company Mavi Gök Aviation was born under the umbrella of the company of the same name, which was founded in 2007 by Anex Tour Group and operates in Turkey.

The operator received preliminary approval from the German Civil Aviation Authority on June 9 and has been flying since July 11. Specifically, from Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Hanover, and Nuremberg to Turkey ten times a week.

The company also plans to extend its operations in Austria in the short term with flights from Vienna.

ECLAC expects Dominican Republic’s economy to grow 5.3 %.

The Dominican Republic’s economy will grow 5.3 %, according to ECLAC, higher than the average for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is 2.7 %. Venezuela will lead the region’s growth by 10%, Panama by 7%, and Colombia by 6.5%.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) highlighted yesterday that there is a context of solid macroeconomic restrictions that are hitting the economies of the region.

These include intense inflationary pressures, low dynamism in job creation, falling investment, and growing social demands.

“This situation has resulted in major challenges for macroeconomic policy, which must reconcile policies that promote economic reactivation with policies aimed at controlling inflation and providing sustainability to public finances,” said Mario Cimoli, Acting Executive Secretary of ECLAC, at the launch of the Economic Survey 2022.

Cimoli highlighted that in countries such as the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and others, the curve that reflects the evolution of employment is almost always below the curve that indicates the behavior of the economic activity.

He said that in Central America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, the immediate result is expected to reach a level close to balance in 2022, with a deficit equivalent to 0.3% of GDP, similar to the values observed before the pandemic.

Back on track to 10 million tourists?

Santo Domingo, DR

According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO) definition, Tourism is any activity carried out by a visitor. A visitor is a person who travels to a destination different from their usual environment for less than one year for any purpose (leisure, business, or personal reasons). Visitors are classified as tourists (if they stay overnight) or as excursionists if they do not stay overnight. The visitor, in turn, may be local or international. The international visitor is a non-resident traveling to another country. This definition is precise and detailed.

Under this same definition, government after government has measured the flow of tourists. In fact, starting in 2012, the government of the day set a goal, welcomed by Dominicans, to reach 10 million tourists in a period of 10 years, i.e., 2022. These ten million included all non-resident tourists entering by air and cruise ships.

This is clear in the last accountability speech of former President Medina, where he said: “In 2012, 4.5 million tourists visited the country per year, which generated an income of 4.6 billion dollars, both not insignificant figures. In 2019, the Dominican Republic received 7.5 million between tourists who entered by air and cruise passengers…” and continues, “As you know, in this sector we set an ambitious goal: that in a period of 10 years, the country would receive 10 million tourists annually. And that goal, if it follows the trend we have set, will be met in 3 years, just as we said”. (Taken from: https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2020/02/27/606108/texto-integro-de-la-rendicion-de-cuentas-del-presidente-danilo-medina). Dominican tourists played an important role in this performance.

In its latest report on tourism for the month of July 2022, the Central Bank informed that: “When analyzing inbound tourism by air during the month of July 2022, the records show that the arrival of non-resident passengers reached the record figure of 735,064 visitors, being the month with the highest reception of tourists in the historical series, ….. In cumulative terms, for the January-July 2022 period, an unprecedented flow was recorded for the first seven months of a year of 4,282,207 non-residents…it is worth noting that when compared to the pre-pandemic period, tourist arrivals for that period exceeded by 115,561 passengers the arrivals recorded in January-July 2019.”

The recovery occurs despite our negative shocks at the beginning of 2022. In the first two months of the year, the Omicron hit international tourism hard, causing new closures and more barriers to travel. This was compounded by a heavy snowfall in the United States that shook flight availability. In March 2022, the war between Russia and Ukraine put the icing on the cake. It is estimated that, had the war not happened, for the period March – July, an additional 163,404 tourists would have been received. Already for the months April to July, arrivals exceeded pre-war levels by 12%. In the absence of the war, arrivals would be almost 20% above pre-pandemic years. Four consecutive months of growth is an excellent sign of recovery, a sort of “remission” from the effects of Covid-19. Total visitor figures, including cruise passengers, also show recovery, with record values for the period January-July 2022.

Everything seems to indicate that the worst is over and we are on a different path. A more hopeful path. A trend indicator showing the annualized value of total visitors, that is, tourists and excursionists, shows that in July 2022, we already reached the highest historical value of visits from abroad, with 7.75 million compared to 7.72 million for June 2019, where it had reached its historical maximum. We are possibly back on the path of 10 million tourists, while very few countries have managed to reach pre-pandemic levels. Will this behavior be the beginning of post-parity or would it be called recovery? If we are consistent, recovery would be the answer.

Ministry of Tourism inaugurates two works on Macao beach

The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, today inaugurated the reconstruction of the access road and parking lot in Macao beach, La Altagracia province, with an investment of more than 53 million pesos.

“We are here again, in Macao beach, to honor our commitment to build a modern parking lot and rebuild the access road,” said the minister.

He assured that these two works directly impact the benefit of visitors and the small merchants in the beach area.

The work was carried out through the Executing Committee of Infrastructures of Tourist Zones (CEIZTUR) of the Ministry of Tourism.

The bus parking lot has a 1,962 square meter space for 14 buses. It also has restrooms, a bench area in the waiting room, as well as green areas. There is also a 340 square meter vehicle parking area and paving for 86 vehicles.

The intervention of the access road includes 323 meters of asphalt, another 950 meters of sidewalk along the entire length of the road to the beach, and 270 meters of paving stones and lighting.

The activity was attended by the leading provincial and municipal authorities and business people of the sector.

Tourism achieves recovery in two years

Puerto Plata Airport recovers 97% of its passenger flow

José Ernesto Marte Piantini, president of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC), reported that Gregorio Luperón airport in Puerto Plata has recovered 97% of its passenger traffic figures in 2019.

The increase is because one million 513,509 passengers transited through Dominican airports in July in 10,565 air operations, according to the Passenger Aerocommercial Activity Report corresponding to the seventh month of 2022, prepared by the institution.

It details more than 1.5 million travelers; 776,493 were on inbound flights and 737,016 on outbound flights.

In July 2022, for the fourth consecutive month (April-July), a record number of passengers were transported for that particular month, with 1,513,509.

Statistics released by the JAC show that the number is the highest number of passengers transported in the Dominican Republic in any month, breaking the record set in March 2019 when 1,311,823 passengers were transported through Dominican terminals, with 2022 being the first time that traffic surpassed the 1.5 million passenger barrier.

Meanwhile, Punta Cana and Las Americas (AILA) airports established historic passenger traffic figures in July 2022, with 816,578 and 435,357 passengers transported, respectively.

“In the case of Punta Cana, it set a record passenger traffic figure for any month and any airport, while Las Americas airport, surpassed its record July 2021 figure,” he added.

Abinader on the anniversary of Asonahores: “The best of tourism is yet to come”

The Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic ( Asonahores ) celebrated its 60th anniversary on Tuesday night and did so with a recognition to the Tourism Cabinet, chaired by President Luis Abinader, after the actions to recover the industry without finalizing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Investment in the last year of US$950 million and generation of more than US$7,000 billion are numbers cited by Rafael Blanco Tejera, president of Asonahores, which position the Dominican Republic as one of the most thriving economies in Latin America.

“Today we celebrate the 60th anniversary of our Asonahores and we do it at the best moment of the recovery of our sector, with a record in the arrival of tourists, an extraordinary hotel occupancy, with the restoration of jobs and enthusiastic to work hand in hand with the president Abinader, Minister David Collado,” said Blanco Tejera.

Asonahores made up of some 200 partners, reviewed its journey from 1960 to date: from 5,900 rooms and 15,000 jobs in the early years to 85,000 rooms and more than 500,000 direct and indirect jobs today.

President Abinader, who received the recognition with Minister Collado, projected that the tourism figures would improve with the pending projects for the coming years.

“The best times for tourism are yet to come in the Dominican Republic.” And he justified his pronouncement with the projects that are carried out under public-private partnerships: the remodeling of the Colonial City in Santo Domingo; the consolidation of Punta Cana, the relaunch of Puerto Plata, and the Cabo Rojo project in Pedernales, where the arrival of the first tourists is expected in November 2023.

The record figures in the arrival of non-resident foreigners have generated an abundance of the dollar, which has caused the stabilization of external debt in June at 62% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the head of state.

In addition to Abinader, Collado, and the executives of Asonahores, the activity was attended by the leading businessmen of the tourism industry, State servants, and other personalities.

Dominican Gov. thanks Canada for mine rescue

Santo Domingo.- President Luis Abinader thanked the Canadian authorities on Monday for their cooperation in rescuing two miners trapped in the Cerro de Maimón mine.

After Gregory Alexander Méndez Torres (Dominican) and Carlos Yépez (Colombian) were rescued on Tuesday, the president thanked the Prime Minister of the Government of Canada, Justin Trudeau.

“We thank @JustinTrudeau, Prime Minister of the Government of Canada, for his quick response to our request for help; which facilitated the rescue of miners trapped in the Cerro de Maimón mine. Thank you very much on behalf of the Dominican people! #MinersRescate.”

Wingo airline will open flight between Panama and Santo Domingo

Wingo announced the launch of two new routes: Panama – Havana, and Panama – Santo Domingo, thus boosting the supply of flights between Central America and the Caribbean by being the only low-cost airline to offer both routes.

The flight to Havana will take off on September 3, 2022, when Wingo will offer close to 3,000 seats per month between the two routes. Likewise, the route between Panama and Santo Domingo will have its inaugural flight on October 6, with 3,000 seats per month between both routes.

In addition, the airline contemplates in its expansion plan and its itinerary until May 2023 a 20% growth in its flight offer, which goes from March 30 to May 16, 2023, and includes 2,168 flights that mean a bid of 403 thousand seats.

The new flights are already available for sale since last Friday, August 5, 2022, offering 682 additional flights in the domestic market, represented by 17 thousand seats.

This figure is due to the launch of new routes within Colombia, such as the Bogotá-Armenia route, as well as the increase in capacity on domestic trunk routes such as Bogotá-Medellín and Bogotá-Cartagena.

On the other hand, Wingo will launch 1,486 new flights in the international market, totaling 276 thousand available seats, representing a 31% increase in global travel possibilities.

This increase is based on the launch of new international routes such as Medellín – Aruba, and Medellín – Havana, as well as a series of capacity increases on routes connecting Bogotá with Panama and San José, Costa Rica, as well as Santo Domingo and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. In addition, frequency increases were also made from Medellín to Santo Domingo and Panama.

“Now our itinerary is available until May 2023; an itinerary with more and more alternatives for those travelers who enjoy the Wingo experience and prefer a Buena Onda alternative, on time and at low fares. This network expansion is evidence of the airline’s growth, since today we offer 193% of the seats we had published prior to the pandemic, which ratifies the relevance, convenience and preference of the low-cost model,” said Jorge Jiménez, Wingo’s Commercial and Planning Director.

In this sense, Wingo reiterates the good moment of recovery that the Colombian airline industry is going through, which shows increasing demand for travelers, both domestically and internationally. As a result, the airline expects to close in 2022 with 2.5 million passengers transported and an operating fleet of nine aircraft.

Airline ticket prices increased by 23.69% in July in July

Airline ticket prices increased by 23.69% in the month of July, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report of the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic.

The report highlights that the transportation sector, with an increase of 0.61%, was the group that contributed the most to July’s inflation, which was recorded at 0.50%, lower than that registered in June.

In detail, the increase in this sector was influenced not only by the increase in airline tickets, which contributed 18% of the CPI variation but also by the increase in the price of public bus fares, which rose by 0.69%.

In addition, the price of motoconchos increased 0.23%, vehicle repair services increased 0.72%, automobiles increased 0.19%, vehicle washing increased 0.94%, and lubricants and oils increased 1.44%.

The Central Bank’s report highlights that the index of the Transportation group was not of greater magnitude due to the fuel subsidies implemented by the Government, which have avoided an overflow of the general inflation.

Up to June, according to Acento, the Government invested RD$ 25 billion in fuel subsidies.

Travel queries through Google increase

Search giant Google stated that there had been an increase in travel-related queries in the last year. For example, searches for “cheapest countries to visit” increased by 7000% between February 22 and April 22 this year compared to the same period in 2021.

Between December 28, 2021, and February 25, 2022, searches for “entry requirements” increased by 600%, and searches for “book a flight” increased by 70% compared to last year.

In last week’s Q2 earnings report from parent company Alphabet, Google senior vice president and chief business officer Philipp Schindler said searches for places to visit in the summer increased 2X globally in Q2 compared to a year earlier, and searches for last-minute hotel deals were up 50%.

For partners such as airlines and hotels, the increase in search activity is a positive sign but still requires a strategy to determine how to convert that consumer interest into bookings.

Some data tools Google offers its partners include Google Trends, Destination Insights with Google, Flight Demand Explores, and Mobility Reports.

For Google, increased search activity translates into revenue, which rose 14% in the second quarter to $40.7 billion, “driven by both travel and retail,” according to Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat.

Meanwhile, Susie Vowinkel, Google’s general manager of global travel, said that “what we’ve learned over the last two years is that it’s been really hard to predict where people are going to travel, how many people are going to travel, and what constraints might prevent or enhance it.”

“What we’re really trying to do is help our partners be able to be able to capture that demand without having to know exactly what those things are that they need to anticipate and just be prepared to capture it naturally as it comes back,” he added.

He said travel partners successfully captured post-pandemic demand using strategies with three common characteristics: knowledge-driven, data-driven, and agile.

Looking ahead, Vowinkel maintains that Google will continue to develop travel tools to assist partners and help consumers make travel decisions. One of the updates just launched is Things to Do. Following the addition of booking links last fall to the “Things to Do” platform, the system is now integrated into Maps, so consumers can compare and access booking links for tours, activities, and attractions directly in the Maps app (currently only on iOS).

He said Google is also very interested in sentiment related to business travel and will be releasing custom research on global trends later this year.

Foreign direct investments reach historical figures

The Export and Investment Center of the Dominican Republic (ProDominicana) reported that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) reached US$1,870.9 million between January and June 2022.

This represents an expansion of 8.0 % compared to the same period of 2021 and 20% compared to the first half of 2019, pre-pandemic.

Biviana Riveiro, executive director of ProDominicana, said, “The growth experienced in foreign direct investment in the Dominican Republic is an indicator of investor confidence in our economy. And to a large extent, we can attribute this expansion to the climate of social, economic, and political stability that we have maintained, combined with actions of openness and facilitation for investment.”

He also indicated, “Thanks to the efforts and strategies of promotion of the country that we are carrying out, our expectations of attracting FDI represent an amount equivalent to US$3.5 billion by the end of the year.”

Riveiro pointed out that we are constantly working to attract more and better investments and that the growth experienced in investment is consistent with the dynamization of the portfolio of services offered by ProDominicana.

In this regard, from January-June 2022, the institution offered 179 assistance services to investors and potential investors to install, develop, and expand investment projects.

Likewise, in the first half of the year, 13 new investment projects were established. In addition, the expansion of investments based in the country and participation in five international FDI attraction events were also promoted.

The sectors that mobilized the most significant flow of FDI from January to June 2022 are tourism, commerce and industry, mining, and real estate.

Among the countries from which the most significant amount of investments came are the United States, Canada, and Mexico, respectively.

It should be noted that the data provided by ProDominicana comes from the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic. For more details, you can review the Data market platform that ProDominicana makes available to the public.

Government to refurbish 25 beaches for more than 3 billion pesos

President Luis Abinader and the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, headed the launching ceremony of the National Plan of Reorganization, Regeneration, Training, and Financing for Associations and Informal Beach Vendors.

In this plan, more than 3,000 million pesos will be invested in renovating some 25 beaches and providing training and financing for the benefit of hundreds of families residing in these tourist areas.

The Minister of Tourism expressed that as part of the plan, the small merchants who operate on the beaches to be intervened will receive the transformation of their spaces and training on the quality of their services, improving their economy and that of their families, with a vision of urban planning that will attract more tourists.

He said that more than 3,000 beach vendors from all over the country have recovered their sales and are part of the renovation and reorganization of these tourist spaces.

“And we initiated a program in which we are going to refurbish 25 beaches, and today we are in Macao, in Miches, Guayacanes I and II, Las Galeras, Los Patos, and we are going to Palenque, Puerto Plata and all the beaches of the country with a budget of more than 3 billion pesos,” he proclaimed.

“I want to express the pride and satisfaction I have in working with President Luis Abinader, the man who has supported tourism the most in the history of the country,” Collado expressed.

The activity took place at the San Lazaro Club, where tour guides, small business owners, and representatives of associations of these coastal areas from all over the country participated.

At the event, President Abinader received recognition from the vendors’ associations.

The U.S. consolidates its position as the Dominican Republic’s largest tourist source with more than 50% of arrivals

The goose that lays the golden eggs of Dominican tourism is the United States, and that has many reasons, the first of which is the proximity, the connection from the cultural point of view, the country’s ability to connect with the type of food they seek, the service they demand, and the Dominican connects very well with the American tourist, they feel very comfortable, there are many facilities, and there are no major cultural disparities.”

This was stated by the executive vice-president of Asonahores, Andres Marranzini. They revealed that the United States currently contributes more than 50% of the total number of tourists visiting the Dominican Republic.

“So there are many elements, but the main thing is the proximity, at the end of the day, from the East Coast we have flights from one hour 40 minutes to 4 hours and a half, and in that entire coastline there must be 100 million potential American visitors, and that continues to be our north, and we are doing very well, better than everyone in the Caribbean,” he clarified.

As for the European market, Marranzini said that the collapse of the euro against the U.S. dollar had not had a negative impact on the arrival of tourists from the European continent.

He explained that they have been monitoring the movement of the dollar-euro, and in the past, when the euro lost value against the US currency, European tourism decreased, but this has not been the case this time.

The business leader said that the Dominican Republic had received the volume of European tourists projected for the current year.

Arajet, a great challenge for US airlines due to its low cost

“With the new state-of-the-art Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that Arajet will use, when this competition enters the domestic market with these high levels of catchment and will have the capacity to move high passenger traffic, there is no doubt that it will be reflected in the low cost of fares.”

This was stated by the interim director of the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC), Héctor Porcella, who said that the new operations would be a great challenge for the major U.S. airlines operating in the country, such as American Airlines, JetBlue, Delta, United Airlines and Spirit, which will have to adjust their business scheme.

The official explained that the investment made by Arajet is extremely substantial after pointing out that a single airplane that will operate will cost between 80 and 100 million dollars.

Porcella said that the airline projects that it will start its operation this August with five aircraft at the end of this year, and in the next five years, it will incorporate a fleet of 45 aircraft, according to Listín Diario.

“Gentlemen, we are talking about an investment of more than one billion dollars, only in airplanes, without including fuel and operational expenses and other economic items,” he said.

The head of the IDAC reminded that civil aviation goes hand in hand with the development of tourism, and in this aspect, the institution in its present management has offered all the facilities of bureaucratic procedures so that the new airlines can be certified in the shortest possible time.

Dominican Embassy projects Dominican cigars and rum in the U.S.

Santo Domingo, D.R.
The Dominican Ambassador in Washington, Sonia Guzman, during the traditional celebration of the “Dominican Cigar and Rum Night,” highlighted that at this moment the Dominican Republic is the first premium cigar exporting country in the world.

“Cigars are also art and culture, for this reason President Luis Abinader presented a bill to declare tobacco and cigars in particular as Dominican Cultural Heritage, a bill that has already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies,” informed the diplomat.

She also pointed out that last year a sum of 1.2 billion dollars was achieved in global cigar exports; the first market is the United States.

Likewise, Guzmán added that in 2021 the Dominican Republic was the leading rum exporting country to the United States. Hence, the industry achieved a significant milestone with the approval by the Dominican government of the denomination of origin to provide consumers around the world with more excellent guarantees of quality and traceability.

Celebration

The event took place at the Ambassador’s residence in New York, where the Association of Cigar Producers of the Dominican Republic (Procigar) and the Dominican Association of Rum Producers (Adopron) entertained members of the U.S. Congress, federal government officials, diplomats, representatives of international organizations, specialized agents and business people involved in the sale and distribution of cigars and rum in Washington, Virginia, and Maryland, and throughout the United States.

According to the State agency, the president of Procigar, Hendrik Kelner, and other representatives paid a courtesy visit to the U.S. Congress, where they met with the chairman of the Cigar Caucus, Pennsylvania Congressman Dan Meuser.
For her part, the representative of Adopron, Aguie Lendor, held meetings with different institutions in the United States regarding the importation, labeling, and designation of the geographical indication in this country.

Representatives from the Dominican Republic attended the reception, including representatives from the Ministries of the Presidency, Public Health and Higher Education, ProDominicana, and the American Chamber of Commerce.

Dominican tourism income tops US$931.0M

Santo Domingo.- The arrival of tourists in July to the Dominican Republic had a direct impact on the economy, because it represented 931 million dollars in foreign exchange contributions.
These are the numbers handled by the Ministry of Tourism and which were released yesterday through David Collado.
The United States remains in the lead as the issuing country of tourists, followed by Canada, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Spain, Cuba and the United Kingdom.
Collado gives as a fact that this year 2022 will close with the arrival of more than seven million tourists, “thus achieving the best year of tourism in its history, thanks to the vision that has been implemented from the State by the president Luis Abinader, as well as the cooperation of the private sector and all the collaborators of the ministry.”