SEPTEMBER 2008

Yellow alert for the Samaná province

Preventive evacuations started

The Emergencies Operations Center (COE) started this Tuesday preventives evacuations in the north zone of the country and issued a red alert for three provincies: Dajabon, Montecristi and Puerto Plata, and yellow alert for Espaillat, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Monte Plata, Santo Domingo, Duarte, Samana, La Vega andy Monseñor Nouel.

Green alert has been issued for San Pedro de Macorís, El Seibo, La Altagracia, Hato Mayor and Salcedo.

According to the National Meteorological Office (ONAMET), the alert of flooding and mudslide is due to a strong weather system associated to hurricane Hanna which will continue affecting the country´s north and northeast.

Dominican Today, 02.09.08

Evaluation of tourist installations of the Peninsula

Hotels classification started

Fifty four tourist installations of Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata, Sosúa, Las Terrenas, Samaná and Río San Juan were evaluated at the time of the first stage of the application of the National System of Hotel Classification (SNCH), which began on July 31 and terminated the last week of August.

Thanks to this initiative of the Secretariat of Tourism (SECTUR), organization directed by Francisco Javier García, the Dominican Republic will be able to present hotel infrastructures classified by stars, according to the standards of the infrastructures and the services, implemented by the international standards.

The evaluations of the establishments were carried out by a team of inspectors of SECTUR and technicians of the Spanish consortium ECA- Quality Institute (QI).

The tasks of supervision of the SNCH were performed by the under-secretary of Tourism, Radhamés Martínez Aponte.

In Las Terrenas, the checked installations were the Gran Bahía Príncipe, the Colibrí Residence, Las Cayenas, Aligio Hotel, Bahía Estela, and the Atlantis Hotel; while in Samaná they were the Cayo Levantado, Casa Marina Bay (Grand Paradise Samaná) Plaza Lusitania, Palococo and Cayacoa. And for Río San Juan, the Bay Eden and Bahía Príncipe hotels.

The company ECA-QI was selected for the project of Design and Application of the SNCH through offers made with the approval of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (ASONAHORES) and of the National Council of Competitiveness.

The project has a partial financing of the Inter-American Bank of Development (BID), through the National Funds of Competitiveness (FONDEC).

Recently, with the resolution 163/08, Sectur set up the new classification of the hotels, In order to classify them according to the new parameters of the tourism industry at international level.

The National System of Hotel Classification is an initiative of general interest, in consensus with the private sector and which will contribute to optimize the commercial relation among the hotels and the users, for the benefit of the companies, their employees and consequently of the tourist and economic image of the country.

Al Momento, 03.09.08

Photo Los Ojos de Denis - All rights reserved

The COE places 14 official shelters at disposal in seven provinces and in the Capital

Two in Samaná

HURRICANE EMERGENCY . - The Emergency Operations Center (CEO) informed today that it places at disposal 14 official shelters on the whole national territory, which are located in San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana, Higüey, Samaná, San Jose de Ocoa, Peravia, Santo Domingo and in the Capital.

The Emergency Operations Center recommended to the population to accept to be evacuated to face the Red Alert which was emitted for the entire country because of the probability of floods and landslides.

There are two refuges in Samaná, one at the elementary school El Limón and the other one in the premises of the Civil defense.

Yesterday afternoon all the organizations of the COE met to take measures to face the threat of the hurricane IKE which is expected to move over the Northern coasts of the country during the week-end, according to the communicate of Colonel Juan Méndez., CEO manager.

Listín Diario, by María Eugenia del Pozo, 05.09.08

Samaná still in Red Alert

Dominican regions still under flood, landslide warning

In a statement issued 6 a.m. today the National Meteorological Office (ONAMET) said the flooding and landslide warning remains in effect around the country, with some southeast region communities still cut off as the downpours continue.

ONAMET said the climate in the country’s east region (Hato Mayor, La Romana, El Seibo and La Altagracia) is expected to improve as the cloud cover decreases.

Meteorology said today it will analyze a huge cloud cover and a small tropical disturbance left by Hurricane Ike.

This morning it was reported that a house collapsed in the Los Ramirez area in Santo Domingo’s exclusive Arroyo Hondo sector, but no deaths or injuries were reported.

Dominican Today, 08.09.08, 01h30 p.m.

It is expected that cocoa sales exceed 90 million dollars

Dominican Republic : Ninth cocoa producer of the world

The country plan to export this year between 35.000 and 40.000 tons of cocoa, for a sum higher than 90 million dollars, as specified today the ministry of Agriculture. The secretary of this porfolio, Salvador Jiménez, underlined the important zones of cocoa plantations of the country and the role of this activity in the combat against poverty in the rural area and the conservation of the protected sectors.

The Dominican Republic is the ninth cocoa producer of the world and is at the first place among the organic cocoa producers, and was included in a group of fifteen countries which are recognized in the world as cocoa gourmet producers.

According to Jiménez, agrarian producers, contractors and local authorities are developing research actions, qualification and execution with small medium and big producers to improve the productivity and the profitability of the plantations of cocoa.

The civil servant offered his declarations within the framework of the meeting of the First Parliament of the Alliance of the Cocoa Producer Countries (Copal), to which participate more than 80 deputies of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, informed the Agriculture ministry.

Hoy Digital, 09.09.08

A travel on the line cruiser « Grandeur of the Seas »

An unforgettable experience

Samaná. - Thousands of tourists visited the Bay when they went down of one of the largest boats of the Royal Caribbean International Line, the « Grandeur of the Seas ».

The tourists bought gifts, cigars, went to the restaurant and made a walk through the city, where they were welcomed by the inhabitants at the rhythm of güira, tambora and accordion.

Convened by the tour operator company Operahotel, travel agents made an inspection at the time of the cruising which moored in the quay of Samaná, with the purpose to extend their knowledge for the cruising sale.

The hosts appreciated the characteristics and the equipment of the boats of the Vision family.

They had an unforgettable adventure and experience, to cross the world on board of a cruise liner.

Diario Libre, by Mercedes Guzmán, 10.09.08

The lack of roads is a pitfall for tourism

Tourism industry, a long term commitment

The main issue of the tourism industry of the country is the lack of roads in good conditions which would allow the tourists to easily and safety move.

The ideal would be a connection between the tourist points and the airports so that the visitor can move from a zone to another said the president of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Asonahores), Haydée Kuret de Rainieri.

The visitor who is the Eastern area must go to Santo Domingo to go to Puerto Plata and to Samaná because there is no connection, she added.

Another need is to conclude the studies paid by various hotels associations to prevent the extension of the suburbs in the tourist neighborhoods.

It is a visual problem which gives a feeling of squalor, of insecurity. They need to renew the system which is obsolete so that the various authorizations are emitted by the means of a more effective and fast process »

The industry of tourism is a long-term commitment, this is why the policies and the laws must be in agreement, specified Kuret.

We cannot change the game rules with our goodwill. We must understand that the investments are made within a given time and these policies and these laws cannot be changed every day she emphasized.

Listín Diario, by Fernando Quiroz, 15.09.08

Candidates for the position of Prim Pujals

Senator of Samaná

The candidature for the position of senator of Samaná has aspirants and two women would be the competitors of Doctor Prim Pujals, who aspires to keep his position over the period 2010-2012.

Rumors in Samaná would have revealed that Ruth Méndez, sub-manageress of Customs, and the community worker Audeliza Solano, could dispute the senator candidature for the Party of the Dominican Liberation (PLD).

There would be also aspirations on behalf of figures of Samaná, like Miguel Angel Jazmin.

Concerning Audeliza Solano, this is one of the young women who most socially works for Samaná and she is working in all the State organizations looking for solutions to the problems of the province.

She is sub-manageress of the Head Office of Development of the Community (DGDC). She works without slackening for Samaná and she is one of the women having the best relationship with the powerful sectors of this province.

However, Prim Pujals declares like a fact his repostulation as senator of Samaná.

The Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) has confidence in the fact that it will recover the post of senator of Samaná during the elections of 2010.

El Samanes, 19.09.08.