The Dominican Republic Intensifies Tourism Promotion in Eastern Europe

With the idea of increasing the number of visitors from Eastern Europe, the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR) intensified its promotion efforts in those markets throughout this fall, an action which focused on hotel chains, tour operators, travel agents and airlines.

The TT Warsaw Fair is underway in Poland, she added, describing the Fair as a campaign going on in five Polish cities as well as a media campaign.

This information was released by Leila Berquis Boasier, Director of the Dominican Tourism Promotion Office (OPT) in Eastern Europe which covers Prague, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary.

Ms. Berquis Boasier said the activities underway to promote the Dominican Republic in the Eastern European market are part of a general marketing strategy approved by Tourism Minister Francisco Javier García, and are being carried out in cooperation with the main tour operators of these markets.

She explained that it has already been organized for the Dominican to participate in Eastern Europe’s most important fairs in the tourism sector such as the TT Warsaw Tourism Fair in Poland’s capital Warsaw and the Madi Travel Market in Prague, the Czech Republic.

“With the intention of training tour operators and travel agents from these emerging markets in the effective sale of Dominican tourism as a product, a trip to the Dominican Republic was held to familiarize them (Fam Trip) with the country. The trip, carried out in cooperation with Air France and the Czech Tour operator Cedoken, hosted 14 travel agents,” she explained.

Berquis Boasier noted that other activities organized by the OPT for Eastern Europe include training workshops in different cities throughout the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary as well as one-day seminars in which, she said, up to 500 people attended representing important tour operators and travel agents from Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The TT Warsaw Fair is underway in Poland, she added, describing the Fair as a campaign going on in five Polish cities as well as a media campaign.

“In the Czech Republic the campaign was launched at the Madi Travel Market, in cooperation with Eso Travel, Siam Travel, Firo Tours and Cedok tour operators. Jointly with these tour operators, a billboard campaign in Czech cities and highways, print media and large ads in Czech and Slovak travel agency show windows is also underway,” she said.

She continued, adding, “in terms of Czech tour operator Eso Travel, the campaign consisted of highway and public transport billboards and the long awaited “Dominican Night” which was directed toward travel agents and the press. Dominican Night attracted more than 350 people who enjoyed the Dominican dance in a live musical show as well as a delicious dinner.”

She explained that other planned activities include the presentation of the Dominican Republic as a destination, a food-tasting of the local delights and cigars to be given to the Czech journalists covering the event. There will also be the crowning of Miss Czech Republic, the Latin American Film Festival and the Polish Road Show in Budapest, Hungary and other Polish cities.

The Director of the Dominican Tourism Promotion Office in Eastern Europe added that these markets comprise a huge development potential for which reason she stressed the importance of carrying out promotion activities geared toward positioning the DR as a multifaceted destination preferred by tourists from these new markets who a eager to discover exotic destinations that are accessible, like the Dominican Republic.

Iveta Lutovská, Miss Czech Republic 2009; Luc Nuyts, Commercial Director Majestic Resorts; Michaela Malácová, Director of the Miss Czech Republic Organization; Leila Berquis Boasier, OPT Director in Eastern Europe; and Tomas Cikam, from ESO Travel.

Leila Berquis Boasier, OPT Director in Eastern Europe and Carmen de León, Assistant Director.

Leila Berquis Boasier, OPT Director in Eastern Europe.