APRIL 2009

The Tourism and Health Ministries implement common strategies

The Tourism and Health Ministries implement common strategiesFor the respect of the sanitary standards

BREAKING NEWS: The Ministry of Tourism (Sectur), in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health, announced the implementation of strategies to optimize the quality of the food consumed by the tourists and to improve environmental health.

Dayhana Prud Homme, director of the Department of the Companies and of the Tourist Services (EYST) of Sectur, informed that with the Head Office of Environmental Health (DIGESA), they carried out coordinated actions so that the sanitary standards are respected to prevent any diseases type which can be transmitted by food, as well as by eliminating the vectors.

She considered as fundamental the action of supervision of the hotels, restaurants, bar and discotheques carried out by Sectur, like measures for the respect of the sanitary standards and the effectiveness of the tourist services.

She also revealed that the National Council of Health and of Tourism (Consatur) carried out fumigations and rat exterminations in the communities close to the tourist poles, in order to prevent the deseases transmitted by the mosquitoes.

The Tour Operators Federation of the United Kingdom (FTO) recently congratulated the Dominican Republic for the substantial improvement of the levels of healthiness in the hotels and in the tourist poles of the country.

Las Galeras Live, 06.04.09

30 years of reclusion for the kidnappers of Las Galeras

30 years of reclusion for the kidnappers of Las GalerasThe criminals required a ransom of one million dollars

BREAKING NEWS: Three men accused to have kidnapped an American tourist, for whom they wished to obtain 1 million dollars of ransom in exchange of her release, were condemned to 30 years of reclusion.

The maximum sentence was emitted by the Court of First Authority of Samaná.

The court declared the three men guilty of kidnapping and criminal conspiracy, on the person of the American citizen Nita Sue Rach.

The kidnapping took place in September 2007, in La Cantana, commune of Las Galeras, Samaná.

Sue Rach had been found healthy and safe at the time of an operation carried out by the National police forces.

The general consul of the USA and a vice-consul as well as civil servants of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), among other members of the American diplomatic legation in the country attended the judgment.

During the examination, the pieces of evidence which link the accused with planning and materialization of the crime were exposed. The Public Ministry requested the court to apply the maximum sentence against the defendants.

Las Galeras Live, 14.04.09

All inclusive To whom it really benefits ?

Beach Las GalerasA traditional offer of sun and beach

BREAKING NEWS: The all inclusive system, that will be 40 year-old in the country soon, stimulates the Dominican offer as part of a Caribbean and world market, and is directed to a middle class audience, from Europe, North America and South America, who prefers going to an hotel without spending much money.

This conclusion is made by Bolívar Troncoso, a famous consultant, university teacher and specialized communicator, when he analyses the importance that could have, in front of the international crisis, the diversification of the offer and the increasing number of the boutique hotels, that respond to the needs of the traveler.

According to him, the traditional offer of sun and beach of this system is positive, but we have to prepare to turn towards complementary offer, before all in order to exploits the naturalist tourism, a very famous tendency today.

The naturalist tourism

He argues that the naturalist tourism in all its forms, in particular the ecotourism and the adventure tourism, became these last years a world growing sector.

Concerning the naturalist tourism, he explains that this world tendency can be found in our country too, since it has a great potential, for the ecotourism, adventure tourism and agro tourism.

Sustainable growth

Amhsa Marina is the main hotel’s chain with a Dominican capital and which operates under the system of all inclusive. It was able to reach a position in front of an energetic and sustained competition with the international franchises.

At Amhsa Marina, we believe that the quality of our services is a decisive factor for the development of our company, and the main resource in order to strengthen the Dominican sign in a very competitive hotel industry, explains Luis López, president.

The company possesses five properties: Grand Paradise Playa Dorada, Casa Marina Beach, Casa Marina Reef, Grand Paradise Bávaro and Gran Paradise Samana in Las Galeras.

Las Galeras Live, 22.04.09

Lion Fish studied in the country

Lion Fish studied in the countryReef Check coordinates a monitoring in the zone

BREAKING NEWS: The ecosystem, important vertebra in the column which is nature, is transformed into a environment difficult to maintain and, without this balance, all the rest collapses.

At the time of the Month of the Earth, it is important to recall that each element which composes one of these systems is important as much for the planet than the control of the polluting emissions.

The invasion of the Lion Fish on the coasts of the country is controlled since the first scientific information of the presence of a specimen in Montecristi was revealed in the middle of last year.

The Reef Check Foundation maintains a constant monitoring of the advances of the species on all the coasts of the country and it is the Dominican spokes entity on the international forums where the cases and the localization of the fish are reported, in addition to examine the possible control methods.

The subject of the invader species as the Lion Fish is examined very seriously within the international scientific community, explains the director of Reef Check, Doctor Rubén Torres, which represents the country to the meeting of ICRI (International Coral Reef Initiative), in Phuket, Thailand, and who says that the invasion of the Lion Fish is one of the most difficult subjects on which they currently work.

The Lion Fish is a big fish which can reach 38 centimeters and weighs up to 1.200 grams.

Its colors are splendid and the Lion Fish is distinguished with red, white and color coffee vertical lines all along its body, although the colors vary according to the place where it lives.

He was seen for the first time, in 1992 in the south of Florida, following the passage of the hurricane Andrew, and since then, it was propagated on all the east coast of the United States, until the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles.

The Lion Fish (Pterois volitans) is a marine species coming from the Western Pacific and Oceania.

By its great beauty and behavior, it is very popular among the aquariums, being one of the 10 most invaluable species imported in the United States.

The most probable explanation for the arrival of this fish in the Atlantic Ocean would be through the businesses for aquariums. It is also possible that Lion Fish can be transported through the ballast water of the ships which travel from the Pacific Ocean.

It is a carnivorous species, which feeds with other fish, shellfish and mollusks. It is very voracious and it threatens the reproduction of other fish.

The Lion Fish is an exotic species (but not of the Caribbean), which territorially competes with other local species like the grouper and which deteriorates the marine ecological balance because of its voracity and given it does not have natural predatory in this zone.

The species is evening and nocturnal and is living on the tropical coasts in the banks of algae, the coral reefs or the coastal lagoons of few depth.

Las Galeras Live, 30.04.09