Madrid-Puerto Plata Flights Announced

Air Europa has announced that it will include a direct Madrid-Puerto Plata-Madrid flight in its current itinerary to the Dominican Republic. The new route will begin this summer.

Air Europa has announced that it will include a direct Madrid-Puerto Plata-Madrid flight in its current itinerary to the Dominican Republic. The new route will begin this summer.

Tourism Minister Félix Jiménez made the announcement following a meeting in Madrid, Spain where he spoke with businessman Juan José Hidalgo, of the Globalia Group. Mr. Hidalgo told Jiménez that Globalia intends to promote the Dominican Republic as the main tourism destination in the Caribbean, according to the Dominican Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR).

Minister Jiménez, during this promotional tour of Spain and Morocco, also met with representatives of the Association of International Hotel Investors (INVEROTEL) who announced the Dominican government is planning new investment programs earmarked for the tourism sector.

Among those in attendance at the meeting were Abel Matutes, of the Fiesta Hotel chain; Simón Pedro Barceló, from the Barceló Group, Adolfo Favieres, President of INVEROTEL, Miguel Fluxa, from the Iberostar Group; and Luis Miguel Martí – representing Gabriel Escarrer – of the Sol Meliá Group.

During the meeting, Dominican government investments for infrastructure construction – more than $200 million dollars – was discussed, in addition to a new $300 million dollar investment proposal the government is seeking for the second half of 2008 and which will take priority in the upcoming years in the areas of Samaná and the Este Profundo.

Jiménez said this new commitment will prioritize the building of new roads and highways, the expansion of sanitary systems as well as the extension of already existing offerings…

Jiménez said this new commitment will prioritize the building of new roads and highways, the expansion of sanitary systems as well as the extension of already existing offerings, among other important building to be undertaken in the area.

Throughout the meeting, Jiménez was accompanied by Luis López, President of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Asonahores); Luis José Asilis, President of the Association of Hotels and Development of Juan Dolio; Abraham Selman, hotel entrepreneur from Puerto Plata; and Paola Dimitri, Director of the Tourism Promotion Office of the Dominican Republic for Spain and Portugal, who organized the meeting.

The Dominican Republic has 64,000 hotel rooms, representing 128,000 places for people to stay, 70% of which have been built with Spanish capital investment.

The Tourism Minister arrived in Madrid last Friday and since then has had lunch with executives from the Aldesa Company as well as other Spanish hotel business people. On Saturday he had dinner with Mr. Pepe Hidalgo, President of the Globalia Group. On Sunday, May 25th Mr. Jiménez traveled to Corboba and returned to Madrid the following day.

According to Jiménez’s work schedule, he will travel to Morocco and return to Madrid this Saturday May 31. On Sunday evening, June 1st, he will leave Spain and return home to Santo Domingo to pick up his busy schedule first thing Monday morning.

Dominican Tourism Minister, Félix Jiménez, with Abel Matutes and Adolfo Favieres.

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