Dominican Republic Tourism Officials Unveil Santo Domingo Updates and Developments

SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, April 17, 2018 -- Tourism industry experts at this year’s Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE) conference announced several developments for the future of its capital city, most notably in Colonial City, the country’s only current UNESCO World Heritage Site. The announcements include museums, hotel properties, activities and more, and the country expressed great enthusiasm for the projects to come.

A series of 10 public walking routes will soon be available through the Colonial City

The first discovered city of the New World has experienced booming growth in recent years and is on track to exceed those metrics. The Santo Domingo Meeting, Incentives Convention and Events (SDQ MICE) of the Hotel Association from Santo Domingo announced updates and additions to further position the capital city as the premier destination for meetings. The group opened with a new promotional video of Santo Domingo presenting the capital city’s offerings of 4,000 rooms and 1,500 conference rooms.

To help further accommodate this growth, several major hotels in Santo Domingo will be updated in the coming year. These include, but are not limited to: Catalonia Santo Domingo Hotel, Crowne Plaza Santo Domingo, El Embajador, a Royal Hideaway Hotel, Radisson Santo Domingo, Renaissance Santo Domingo Jaragua Hotel & Casino and Hodelpa’s Nicolas de Ovando.

To support Santo Domingo’s objective of establishing the city as the most culturally diverse destination in the Caribbean, the Ministry’s Tourism Development Program of the Colonial City announced a series of attractions, most notably the Underwater Heritage Museum, a subaquatic patrimony that will house nearly 1,200 underwater shipwreck treasures including relics of the 15th century Santa María of Christopher Columbus. The attraction located in the Colonial City is set to open in June and is anticipated to be one of Santo Domingo’s, and the country’s, most noteworthy museum.

A $31.5 million Dominican State investment was announced with financing from the Inter-American Development Bank (IBD), which will provide improvements to increase the Santo Domingo experience, including introducing a series of 10 public walking routes through the Colonial City. This summer, the series of 10 new tourist routes through the zone, including the “Must see route” (Ruta Imperdible), will offer a quick glance through 500 years of history.

MITUR is dedicated to expanding the country’s multi-destination offerings, as such these announcements are complemented by increased transportation initiatives from destinations such as Punta Cana, Bávaro among others to the capital city, promoting Santo Domingo’s unique gastronomy, culture, history, sports and entertainment characteristics to visitors.

The group also shared its latest statistics and pending improvements of the Colonial City:

• 64% increase in tourist arrivals since 2010
• 77% increase rate in cruise ship arrivals in comparison to the previous year
• 500 new businesses in the last 5 years, mostly belonging to the orange economy in aim at the tourism sector
• Updates to sidewalks, and renovations of houses and local buildings
• First in the country to establish the Territorial Tourist Information System (SITT), Carrying Capacity Monitoring System and the Tourist Quality System.

To learn more about Dominican Republic and how you can incorporate this year’s travel trends into your trip, visit www.GoDominicanRepublic.com.

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About Dominican Republic
Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the north and the Caribbean Sea on the south, our lush tropical and paradisiacal country boasts nearly 1,000 miles of coastline, magnificent resorts and hotels, and a variety of sports, recreation and entertainment options. Here you can dance to the pulse pounding thrill of the merengue, renew in our luxurious and diverse accommodations, explore ancient relics of centuries past, delight in delicious Dominican gastronomy or enjoy ecotourism adventures in our magnificent national parks, mountain ranges, rivers and beaches.

Known for our warm and hospitable people, Dominican Republic is a destination like no other, featuring astounding nature, intriguing history and rich cultural experiences like music, art and festivals, plus uniquely Dominican specialties such as cigars, rum, chocolate, coffee, merengue, amber and larimar.

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Annie Holschuh
Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism
(414) 247-2140
[email protected]