GPS map Republica Dominicana

Townsfolk doubt Medina will rebuild their rugged ´tourist´ road Santiago.- Residents of 40 villages along the Gregorio Luperon tourist road, which links them to Puerto Plata province and other north coast towns, say they doubt the government will rebuild the rugged road. Heavy equipment arrived in the villages La Tinaja and Los Quemados several days ago and started working to expand the road and remove the ruined asphalt. Although the crews currently work seven days per week, some residents who´ve given up hope that the Government can provide their main desire: conclude the reconstruction of the deteriorated 47-kilometer stretch. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Pawa Dominicana launches 1st flight; 25-year lull ends Santo Domingo.- Dominican airline Pawa on Monday held its inaugural flight with a ceremony at Las Americas Airport with the arrival of flight 721from St. Martin. Pawa becomes the first Dominican based airline since the late 1980s, when Dominicana de Aviacion went bankrupt. The airline has direct flights to Aruba, Curacao and St. Martin, then add new routes such as San Juan, Havana, Miami and New York within six months. Pawa president Simon Garcia thanked the Civil Aviation Institute and the Industry and Commerce Ministry for the facilities provided. He said the carrier will start  begin 24 flights weekly and expand operations in the Caribbean, with routes not covered by other airlines thus far. Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez blessed the facilities and aircraft that will bear the Dominican flag in each flight. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Tourism Ministry takes over San Francisco ruins restoration project Santo Domingo.- Tourism Minister Francisco Javier García has taken personal charge of the project to restore and adapt the Ruins of the San Francisco Convent in Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone. In its early stages, this proposal was met with widespread rejection. Maribel Villalona, director of Tourism Promotion for the Colonial City, a program that consists of a series of projects in the first city in the New World, said that the Ministry was managing the “Project for Restoration and Conservation of the Ruins of San Francisco”. Since the project was first announced, architect Villalona has faced criticism from civil society, including bodies like the International Council for Monuments and Sites, the Dominican Republic Academy of Sciences and the National District Council. Villalona said that the ministry had decided to take on the project «due to the variables involved that exceed the technical considerations.» When asked about the process of dialogue between the ministry of Tourism and the sectors involved in the colonial-era structure, and the Colonial Zone in general, which has been declared a world heritage site, she said that the results of the forum were being processed. “It appears that everyone is awaiting the next step. The Tourism Ministry, up until recently, was waiting for opinions,” she stated. According to Villalona, during the debate on the feasibility of restoring the Ruins of San Francisco, each university has presented a different proposal, which has made it even more interesting. She added that the process would take time. The architectural design presented by Rafael Moneo has not been welcomed by some sectors, which claim that if implemented, it would distort the ruins. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

CORVALLIS, Ore. – More than 20 million years ago, a short struggle took place in what is now the Dominican Republic , resulting in one animal getting its leg bitten off by a predator just before it escaped. But in the confusion, it fell into a gooey resin deposit, to be fossilized and entombed forever in amber. The fossil record of that event has revealed something not known before – that salamanders once lived on an island in the Caribbean Sea. Today, they are nowhere to be found in the entire Caribbean area. The never-before-seen and now extinct species of salamander, named Palaeoplethodon hispaniolae by the authors of the paper, adds more clues to the ecological and geological history of the islands of the Caribbean. Findings about its brief life and traumatic end – it was just a baby – have been published in the journal Palaeodiversity, by researchers from Oregon State University and the University of California at Berkeley. “I was shocked when I first saw it in amber,” said George Poinar, Jr., a professor emeritus in the OSU College of Science, and a world expert in the study of insects, plants and other life forms preserved in amber, all of which allow researchers to reconstruct the ecology of ancient ecosystems. “There are very few salamander fossils of any type, and no one has ever found a salamander preserved in amber,” Poinar said. “And finding it in Dominican amber was especially unexpected, because today no salamanders, even living ones, have ever been found in that region.” This fossil salamander belonged to the family Plethodontidae, a widespread family that today is still very common in North America, particularly the Appalachian Mountains. But it had back and front legs lacking distinct toes, just almost complete webbing with little bumps on them. As

Tourism Ministry takes over San Francisco ruins restoration issue Santo Domingo.- Tourism Minister Francisco Javier García has taken personal charge of the project to restore and adapt the Ruins of the San Francisco Convent in Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone. In its early stages, this proposal was met with widespread rejection. Maribel Villalona, director of Tourism Promotion for the Colonial City, a program that consists of a series of projects in the first city in the New World, said that the Ministry was managing the “Project for Restoration and Conservation of the Ruins of San Francisco”. Since the project was first announced, architect Villalona has faced criticism from civil society, including bodies like the International Council for Monuments and Sites, the Dominican Republic Academy of Sciences and the National District Council. Villalona said that the ministry had decided to take on the project «due to the variables involved that exceed the technical considerations.» When asked about the process of dialogue between the ministry of Tourism and the sectors involved in the colonial-era structure, and the Colonial Zone in general, which has been declared a world heritage site, she said that the results of the forum were being processed. “It appears that everyone is awaiting the next step. The Tourism Ministry, up until recently, was waiting for opinions,” she stated. According to Villalona, during the debate on the feasibility of restoring the Ruins of San Francisco, each university has presented a different proposal, which has made it even more interesting. She added that the process would take time. The architectural design presented by Rafael Moneo has not been welcomed by some sectors, which claim that if implemented, it would distort the ruins. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Dominican Republic’s economic future is in tourism: Minister Santo Domingo.– The tourism industry has seen steady growth over the three years of President Danilo Medina’s administration, providing the economy with more than 16 billion dollars, which exceeds the nation’s current budget this year, Tourism minister Francisco Javier Garcia said. According to the official, tourism is at its best, thanks to the support the sector has received from President Danilo Medina. «No one is more aware than him of what this sector represents to the country’s development,» Garcia pointed out. He recalled that the Tourism Ministry has strengthened its international promotion in order to guarantee the arrival of more foreign visitors who choose the Dominican Republic as their favorite destination. «The country’s economic future is in tourism, a sector that is now at its best,» stressed Francisco Javier Garcia. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Pawa Dominicana starts operations with two flights to Caribbean islands Santo Domingo.– Dominican-based airline Pawa Dominicana began its operations Friday, with two flights to Curaçao and Aruba, departing from the Las Americas International Airport Dr. Jose Francisco Peña Gomez. Flights 711 to Aruba and 701 to Curaçao took off at 6:30 p.m. from Santo Domingo. Pawa airplanes will be showcasing the Dominican flag as it emblem, elnuevodiario.com.do reported. The airline said that it will be operating a full itinerary starting Sunday, August 16th with the addition of St. Maarten as its third destination in the Caribbean, within its first phase of operations.CuraçaoOn August 14th, Curaçao celebrated Pawa’s Santo Domingo – Curaçao DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Dominican official slams the door on bauxite mine as tourism waits Santo Domingo.-   Energy and Mines Minister Antonio Isa Conde on  Wednesday defended Government´s strategy to develop Pedernales (southwest), replacing bauxite mining with a comprehensive economic and social plan which protects the environment, in an area  with the most eco-tourism attractions. He said the project will start in the coming months with actions to remediate the environment and construction of infrastructure requiring a massive number of workers with more than mining had provided thus far.»We´re committed to sustainable employment.» He said it’s more rational a brief, short-term sacrifice to maintain an activity that entails serious environmental consequences in the medium and long term for the quality of life of present and future generations. «This decision is above individual interests and focuses on the interests of the country and a population that must keep living beyond when bauxite is exhausted,» Isa Conde said on Panorama, Fidelity radio. When asked why the miner Dovemco wasn’t allowed to extract bauxite during the next 18 months, the official said the government’s plan has a timetable that should not vary for «individual interests.» DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

After 35 years, Puerto Plata resumes agro-tourism bash Puerto Plata.-  After 35 years since the last event president Danilo Medina on Wednesday inaugurated the third North Region Agricultural and Tourism Fair, aimed at promoting the untapped the potential of the area’s cities. The activity that’ll conclude Sunday began at 4pm at Eugenio Maria de Hostos Park, where Puerto Plata Chamber of Commerce president Sixto Peralta stressed the need to fix the region’s roads. He said the Puerto Plata-Navarrete highway must be widened to four lanes while the Gregorio Luperon panoramic route from Santiago requires repairs. «For this, we are working with all social organizations of Puerto Plata, for a public-private investment,” the business leader said, adding the State must invest on the road, “so fundamental to develop this area’s tourism.” DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Pawa taps USM to start flights on Aug. 14 Santo Domingo.- Dominican-based airline Pawa Dominicana spent US$30 million tp the launch operations in the country starting August 14  with 24 weekly flights to the Dutch islands of Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten in the first stage. In the press conference held at JW Marriott hotel, Pawa corporate affairs director Alexander Barrios said the carrier plans other flights to San Juan, Havana, Miami and New York within eight months. He said the flights will serve to haul domestic exports, especially agro products, to Pawa’s destinations and improve the local market’s competitiveness. The Caribbean’s routes will count with DC-9 100-passenger aircraft and MD-80, of 160 passengers, or 3,200 seats per week and 12,900 a month Barrios said, adding that Pawa currently has seven aircraft. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Los Tres Ojos natural park gets a RD.0M facelift Santo Domingo.- The Environment Ministry on Tuesday cut the ribbon on the new installations at Los Tres Ojos natural monument built at a cost of more than RD$2.0 million, with support by the UN Development Program (UNDP). Environment minister Bautista Rojas headed the activity together with UN Development Program (UNDP) country representative Lorenzo Jimenez de Luis. Among the new facilities in the iconic park of natural springs and deep pools figure a shop for local handicrafts, reconditioned trails, entrance, landscaping and signs, and is located just minutes east of the capital. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Busiest Dominican airport to conduct flights ´almost’ like a US terminal Santo Domingo.- Punta Cana Airport has been certified to operate flights to the US almost as a domestic terminal where passengers will be pre-checked at the facility in the near future, avoiding the hassle of American immigration and customs with connecting flights. US Customs and Immigration officials will conduct the checks at a special salon set within the premises of Punta Cana, which will become the country´s first airport with that international rating. Punta Cana airport received 2.9 million passengers during 2014, or 65.2% of the country´s total, and has led in air operations during the last few years. Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC) director Alejandro Herrera said Punta Cana it will obtain permits and facilities to conduct its flights after beating Cancun, in Mexico in a rating of terminals. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Yet another project to clean up, develop Dominican capital´s rivers Santo Domingo.- President Danilo Medina and the Ozama and Isabela rivers recovery commission on Monday said will be build an avenue along both waterways and halt the dumping into their waters of pollutants and trash by companies. The announced project is the latest proposal to clean up and develop the fouled waterways, the most recent an Italian company with even upscale waterfront real estate. National District mayor Roberto Salcedo provided the information after the meeting with the mayors of Greater Santo Domingo and other committee members. He said trees will be planted along the river banks as part of the ambitious project´s objectives. “We have yet to quantify them, but each of these projects to be implemented we obviously have to work on the budget to identify the sources of resources.» He said five community-oriented companies operating on their banks collect 500 tons of trash each day which had been dumped into the two rivers, «and since we now pay 25 dollars per ton they now try to pick it up.» DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Ruling paves way to develop most pristine Dominican beach Santo Domingo.- A National District judge on Tuesday declared null and void the demarcations within the parcels 215-B-3 of Enriquillo township, Barahona province (southwest), for being part of Jaragua National Park, which includes the seven miles of beach at Bahia de las Aguilas. The ruling surmounts the last major hurdle for the government to develop the pristine beach near Pedernales, a case that has been in the courts since 1997. 1st Superior Land Court Chamber judge Adela Torres de la Cruz ordered Barahona Titles Registry to cancel the claims derived from surveyor boundaries in that parcel, restoring the validity of title No. 42 with the State´s property rights to 6,533 hectares. The judge also ordered the Regional Cadastral Directorate to revoke survey designations No.215-B-3, 215-B-3-C, 215-B-3-D, 215-B-3-F, 215-B-3-G and 215-B-3-H, assigned to the plots covered by the demarcation. The court ruled for the Justice Ministry´s request to annul the surveys and against the ownership claim filed by Ricardo, Eduardo Elias, Mauricio and Carolina Alicia Gadala Maria, as inheritors of Elias Gadala Maria. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Talks widen on Colonial-era historic site redo Santo Domingo.- Tourism minister Francisco Javier Garcia headed a meeting Sunday to talk with the various sectors interested in the project to restore the Ruinas de San Francisco historic landmark, prior to the conclusion of the design’s first stage. The official said the project awoke national awareness on the need to preserve the value of our heritage in hand with cultural tourism. «This is the opportunity we have to recover the ruins of San Francisco, because the resources are there now let’s define how to do it together.» In a statement project coordinator Maribel Villalona said the call for tenders was conducted to select the company that will head the project design consolidation which will be called, «Ruins San Francisco Archaeological Park and Cultural Center.» She said the master plan includes improved surrounding neighborhoods, and that renowned Spanish architect Rafael Moneo won the tender in which 42 local and foreign companies participated. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Carnival’s proposed bike lane for tourists in Puerto Plata splits locals Puerto Plata.-  The cruise ship company Carnival’s proposal to «privatize» one lane of Puerto Plata’s Malecon (seaside boulevard) to make it safer for tourists on bicycles has split the locals. But despite that the City Council has yet to agree to the company’s road plan design that features a bicycle lane for foreigners who arrive from the cruise port at Maimon (Amber Cove) to the historic center, Puerto Plata mayor Walter Musa cites potential traffic jams if the project  is approved. Quoted by elcaribe.com.do the official said the proposed route runs from Maimon zigzags through the street off the Malecon. «We’re saying that it’s not possible to make the lanes narrower, but we will work in a process.” Musa however agrees that the city must provide security for the tourists who’ll flock to Puerto Plata in just three months, so work needs to be done on the bicycle route. Proposal In addition to restrictions on heavy vehicles when tourists use the route, the Tourism Ministry builds an amphitheater at the Malecon’s tip and since Sunday the work to widen the road from Maimon advances, as tourists will start arriving October 6. Community mistrust A public hearing on the proposal at the Puerto Plata City Council was suspended because several council members were unaware of the initiative, which some citizens agree with on tourism development, despite opposition to the bicycle lane. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Dominican Republic National Park honors first of Taino rebels Santo Domingo.- The National Park National Park of the East will now bear the name of Cotubanamá, one of the first Taino Indian chiefs to wage war against the Spanish colonizers on Hispaniola in the late 1400s and early 1500s. Santo Domingo.- The National Park National Park of the East will now bear the name of Cotubanamá, one of the first Taino Indian chiefs to wage war against the Spanish colonizers on Hispaniola in the late 1400s and early 1500s. The Dominican Congress recently approved Bill 519-14 signed into Law by president Danilo Medina on 8 October last year, which recognizes Cotubanamá’s leadership among the caciques (Taino chieftains) as the first to rebel against Spanish rule and fiercely defend his people. Born and raised in the Taino chieftainship of Higuey (Xiguey) which includes the now protected area, Cotubanamá signed a peace treaty with Capt. General Juan de Esquivel after years of protracted battles, but conflicts with the Spaniards soon reemerged, prompting him to burn three times the fort commanded by Juan Ponce de León, between San Rafael de Yuma and Boca de Yuma, forcing the Spanish explorer to rebuild them with stone. Cotubanamá’s successes against the invaders who hunted Indians with trained dogs among other abuses, forced the Spanish crown to deploy a task force to capture or kill him, and was eventually caught and hanged in a public plaza of Santo Domingo. Prior to his capture however Cotubanamá did manage however to recruit the wise shamans and find a secure area to protect the elderly, women and children while on excursions with his braves. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Road to Puerto Plata’s Carnival cruise terminal ready by October Santo Domingo.- The first stage of the Maimon-Puerto Santo Domingo.- The first stage of the Maimon-Puerto Plata highway will be ready in October as the work to expand the north coast route runs smoothly. The Public Works Ministry said the road will be finished in the first week of October, when the cruise port to being built in the town starts to recive the ships of the Carnival Cruise Line. This first 3-kilometer  span has four lanes will link what’s considered the Caribbean’s most modern cruise terminal, expected to relaunch Puerto Plata, the country’s leading tourist destination during the 1980s. Public Works senior staffer Ramon Antonio Pepin provided the information during a tour with officials and road contractors. DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

A Puerto Plata waited 35 years to resume agro, tourism fair After 35 years, Puerto Plata resumes agro-tourism bash Puerto Plata. – After 35 years since the last event president Danilo Medina on Wednesday inaugurated the third North Region Agricultural and Tourism Fair, aimed at promoting the untapped the potential of the area’s cities. The activity that’ll conclude Sunday began at 4pm at Eugenio Maria de Hostos Park, where Puerto Plata Chamber of Commerce president Sixto Peralta stressed the need to fix the region’s roads. He said the Puerto Plata-Navarrete highway must be widened to four lanes while the Gregorio Luperon panoramic route from Santiago requires repairs. «For this, we are working with all social organizations of Puerto Plata, for a public-private investment,” the business leader said, adding the State must invest on the road, “so fundamental to develop this area’s tourism.” DominicanToday.com – Tourism News

Santo Domingo.- Dominican Port Authority (Apordom) director Mayobanex Escoto on Friday said president Danilo Medina will head ribbon cutting for the Carnival cruise ship port Amber Cove, where 376,000 tourists are expected to visit in the first year. He said the cruise passengers will “swoop down” from Maimon Bay to Puerto Plata businesses every week, which he affirms will help jump start the region starting early October. In a statement, the official also revealed that Disney World executives visited the country looking to establish a La Romana-Puerto Plata-Miami cruise route with ships that can carry as many as 5,000 passengers. Escoto, lecturing on «The Reality of the Ports in Dominican Republic» also announced the reconstruction of ports at Cabo Rojo, Pedernales (southwest) and in Barahona (south) to also launch that region´s development. He added that the Cap Cana resort is also building anchorages for large ships in the area, allowing the arrival of 125,000 additional tourists. http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/tourism/2015/8/7/56034/Carnival-ships-to-swoop-down-on-prop-up-Dominican-north-coast

Santo Domingo.- Energy and Mines Minister Antonio Isa Conde on Wednesday defended Government´s strategy to develop Pedernales (southwest), replacing bauxite mining with a comprehensive economic and social plan which protects the environment, in an area with the most eco-tourism attractions. He said the project will start in the coming months with actions to remediate the environment and construction of infrastructure requiring a massive number of workers with more than mining had provided thus far.»We´re committed to sustainable employment.» He said it’s more rational a brief, short-term sacrifice to maintain an activity that entails serious environmental consequences in the medium and long term for the quality of life of present and future generations. «This decision is above individual interests and focuses on the interests of the country and a population that must keep living beyond when bauxite is exhausted,» Isa Conde said on Panorama, Fidelity radio. When asked why the miner Dovemco wasn’t allowed to extract bauxite during the next 18 months, the official said the government’s plan has a timetable that should not vary for «individual interests.» http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/tourism/2015/8/12/56078/Dominican-official-slams-the-door-on-bauxite-mine-as-tourism-waits

Santo Domingo.- After weeks of intense pressure Environment minister Bautista Rojas on Tuesday announced the suspension of all extraction of aggregates and lumbering as long as the drought lasts in the Dominican Republic. In a statement Environment said the precautionary measure aims to protect the country´s environment and natural resources. «All extraction of construction materials and timber are provisionally suspended throughout the national territory while the dry season continues as a way to protect our natural resources.» «The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources will continue the efforts to protect and preserve the environmental heritage,” the agency said. “Faced with the effects of the seasonal drought in the country, the measure is necessary for the population continue to become aware of this phenomenon and take the measures recommended by the authorities.” http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2015/8/11/56065/Pressure-spurs-Dominican-Republic-to-halt-aggregates-lumbering

Officials estimate population at four camps in the south of Haiti is 2,000 and growing after people fled in response to strict new immigration policy Tens of thousands of Haitians and Haitian-Dominicans have fled the Dominican Republic in response to its strict new immigration policy with many settling in squalid camps in Haiti. Haitian officials estimate the population at four camps in the south of Haiti is at least 2,000 and growing. About 400 have settled at the Tete-à-l’eau camp, perched on a hill that slants down to a dry river bed. It was once the site of a larger village washed out in floods decades ago, but now it suffers from a drought. Women wash clothes and children fill small buckets of water alongside donkeys drinking from a spring about 1 km from the camp. Without a well or tap in Tete-à-l’eau, camp-dwellers use this water for everything. Dominicans of Haitian descent fear mass deportation as deadline looms Read more Haiti and the more prosperous Dominican Republic share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. With Dominicans increasingly intolerant of a growing Haitian population – estimated as high as 1 million – on their side of the border, a 2013 Dominican court ruling stripped Dominican citizenship from children born to undocumented immigrants. The vast majority of those affected are Haitian. To implement the court ruling and in response to an international outcry, the Dominican Congress passed a law allowing some migrants to apply for residency before a 17 June deadline, and the government said last week that 239,000 people who started the process can stay for up to two years. The government says it has not begun deportations but that tens of thousands of Haitians left voluntarily. The Haitians here say they either cut their losses and left with their belongings

Ex-Peace Corps volunteers unite for U.S. action on Dominican immigration policies Haitians face deportation from Dominican Republic (CNN)The U.S. State Department’s position toward controversial citizenship and immigration laws in the Dominican Republic is being challenged by an unusual source: Hundreds of former Peace Corps volunteers who served there. Some 560 former Peace Corps volunteers and three former Peace Corps country directors who worked in the Dominican Republic are calling for the United States to suspend funding to Dominican security forces accused of committing human rights violations against Dominicans of Haitian descent. The letter to Secretary of State John Kerry documents abuses committed by some Dominican forces related to the country’s revocation of citizenship of Dominicans born of undocumented immigrants, and a simultaneous crackdown on illegal immigration from Haiti. «Given the Dominican government’s disregard for international law with respect to the status of its citizens of Haitian descent; the violent track record of Dominican security forces receiving funding and training from the United States; and the Dominican Armed Forces‘ readiness to execute a potentially massive campaign of rights-violating expulsions, we ask that the United States suspend its military aid to the Dominican government,» the letter states. Haitians face deportation threats by Dominican Republic The Dominican government has been under fire on two fronts involving Dominicans of Haitian descent and Haitian immigrants. A 2013 court case stripped the citizenship of tens of thousands of Dominicans who were born to undocumented Haitian parents, effectively rendering them stateless. At the same time, the Dominican government is cracking down on undocumented immigrants, the vast majority who came from Haiti. Both of these issues have been addressed by new laws aimed to restore citizenship or register for legal residence. But critics say both laws are flawed and that only a fraction of those affected have been

The agency was awarded the $762,000, six-month contract last month. WASHINGTON: MWW is providing media relations and reputation building support to the Dominican Republic through early next year. According to a document filed with the US Department of Justice, MWW’s work for the Dominican Republic also includes messaging, media training, and developing and implementing a plan to engage analysts and US opinion leaders «to craft the reputation of the Dominican Republic and influence official decisions.» Outreach to media and other parties will span Washington, DC and other key markets across the US in an effort to offer updates «in connection with bilateral or regional issues,» the document states. Additionally, MWW will work with the country’s government organizations on collaborating with and responding to US media inquiries. The contract will run for six months between July 16, 2015 and January 16, 2016. Per month, MWW will receive $127,000, totaling $762,000 for the period. MWW representatives were not immediately available for comment. Over the last two months, MWW has won a number of accounts, including US Bank, the Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association in Europe, and 1-800-Flowers.com brand Harry & David. The firm was also hired by casino and resort company Caesars Entertainment in July to help launch the Waterfront Conference Center at Harrah’s Atlantic City in September. http://www.prweek.com/article/1359913/dominican-republic-enlists-mww-messaging-media-support