News Archives - Page 24 of 31 - Guzmán Ariza | The Dominican Republic Law Firm

Guzmán Ariza Invested as Member of the Spanish Royal Academy

Fabio J. Guzmán Ariza was recognized as a corresponding member of the Spanish Royal Academy (Real Academia Española), the premier authority in the world on Spanish language usage, at a ceremony held in Santo Domingo at the Dominican Academy of Letters (Academia Dominicana de la Lengua).

Bruno Rosario Candelier, executive director of the Dominican Academy of Letters praised Mr. Guzmán’s for his many publications on Spanish language issues and for his commitment to improving the quality of legal drafting in Dominican official documents.

[July 2015]

Travel up 8.7 % in June

Travel to the DR in June has consistently increased. In 2013, the total number of travelers arriving to the Punta Cana International Airport in June was 431,554, increasing to 480,847 in 2014 and now to 522,490 in June 2015.

Also, there has been a steady growth per month this year: January (7.5%), February (7.2%), March (7.3%), April (3.8%), May (8.1%), June (8.7%).

Punta Cana is leading as the preferred leisure destination, according to the Central Bank Statistics Department.

[July 2015]

DR Has More Than 400,000 Businesses

The Dominican Republic has around 410,000 businesses, including both formal and informal businesses, according to a survey prepared by the office of Small Business (Pymes) at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Retail shops and stores account for more than 40 % of the businesses across Peravia, La Romana and Espaillat. In La Romana, firms involved in tourism next account for 11.4% of businesses surveyed. While in Peravia and Espaillat, beauty parlors and barber shops are second in importance, with 14.2 % and 12.2%, respectively.

Colmados selling food and beverage prevail, while betting parlors make up 12% of the small businesses in these provinces.

The results of the complete nationwide survey are expected to be available by the end of the year.

[July 2015]

Travel up 4.3 % in April

The Central Bank tourism statistics department says that 16,783 more tourists visited the country in April 2015 compared to the same month in 2014, or 4.3% more. The Central Bank projects the increase in travel to reach 5% by the end of 2015.

The total number of non-resident travelers for April 2015 was 461,962. From January to April, 1,961,364 tourists visited the country, for a 6.5% growth or 119,689 more travelers this year compared to 2014. The total includes 92,660 foreign tourists and 27,029 non-resident Dominicans.

The Central Bank attributes the good figures to the brighter growth prospects in the United States, which is the main source market for tourists to the Dominican Republic, and to the campaigns implemented by the Ministry of Tourism and the private sector to attract tourists and consolidate the country’s leading position in the Caribbean.

[May 2015]

5.4 % More Tourists Visit the DR in March

In March 36,624 more tourists visited the Dominican Republic compared to the same month last year, for a total 537,640 non-resident travelers, including 61,120 Dominican expatriates and 476,520 foreign tourists. 95.8 % of visitors said the purpose of their visit was leisure.

Travel in the first quarter of the year (January to March) showed 77,050 more visitors from North America and travel from South America was up by 20.1 %. Travel from Europe showed a decline in the number of Russians for 44,598 for the first quarter compared to the same period in 2014. Excluding the Russians, European travel was up 7.2 % from January to March 2015.

The Central Bank attributes the increase in travelers to more visitors coming from the United States, which is experiencing economic recovery. It says that the tourists are also attracted by the international promotion campaigns carried out by the Ministry of Tourism and the private hotel sector to consolidate the country’s leadership in tourism in the Caribbean.

[April 2015]

Cirque du Soleil Starts in Punta Cana in June

Club Med Creactive by Cirque du Soleil debuts at Club Med Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic in June, according to a report in USA Today. The program for adults and children to learn circus skills as part of the Club Med vacation plan under the supervision of instructors trained by Cirque du Soleil is on schedule.

Circus training has always been part of Club Med Punta Cana since its start in 1978. By involving Cirque du Soleil, the resort adds a new dimension to the entertainment package. “This new concept will leverage, for the benefit of Club Med guests, the expertise and knowledge of Cirque du Soleil, who are unrivaled innovators in the realm of circus artistry,” said Henri Giscard d’Estaing, Club Med’s CEO.

Club Med, a pioneer of the all-inclusive resort concept when it debuted 65 years ago, has provided circus instruction for more than 25 years.

[April 2015]

Foreign Workers Will Not Receive a Cédula de Identidad

Foreign workers who receive temporary residency in the Dominican Republic under a labor contract will not receive a cédula de identidad (Dominican ID).

Those applicants who receive a temporary residency card for labor purposes and later on wish to establish permanent residency, will be allowed to apply for a change of category at the Immigration Department, as long as they can prove strong links to the country.

The Immigration Department is currently working with public and private entities so that the residency card will be accepted as the only identification document for foreigners admitted under this category.

This new resolution came into effect in February 2015. The decision was made considering the fact that temporary residents under these conditions usually return to their country of origin after the working relationship/project is finished.

[March 2015]

Punta Cana Attracts the Most Tourists in the DR

A total of 290,194 tourists arrived at the Punta Cana International Airport in January, 66.6% of all tourists arriving in the Dominican Republic that month, since Punta Cana has the largest number of resorts in the country. An additional 14,856 passengers traveled to Punta Cana in January 2015 compared to January 2014.

14.3% of arrivals flew to Las Americas International Airport (Santo Domingo) followed by 11.2% to Puerto Plata, 3.1% to La Romana and 2.9% to Santiago’s international airports. Northern Santo Domingo’s La Isabela and El Catey in Samana made up for the remainder 1.9% of travelers.

[February 2015]

Central Bank Clarifies Economy Grew 7.3 % in 2014

The Central Bank reports that a study of the bank’s preliminary data has allowed for a revision of the 7.1% growth in GDP in 2014 to 7.3%. The Central Bank says that the additional 0.2% comes from construction that was originally estimated to have value added growth of 11.4% for January-December. This has been revised to 13.8%.

Growth rates by sector were as follows: farming (4.4%), mining (20.3%), local manufacturing (5.5%), construction (13.8%), energy and water (4.7%), commerce (4.9%), hotels, bars and restaurants (7.5%), transport and warehousing (6%), communications (5.2%), financial services (9.1%), education (8.4%) and health (7.6%), for a combined 70%.

The growth of the sector has been attributed to an increase in steel rebar sales from 15.1% to 17.6%, and in loans.

According to the Central Bank, 2014 was a year of economic consolidation.

[February 2015]

Tourism grew 7.5 % in 2014

The Central Bank reports that tourism growth of 7.5 % of GDP in 2014 was 3.6 % greater than in 2013. The Central Bank attributes the growth of the sector to a 9.6 % increase in non-resident passenger arrivals. There was also a 3.1 % increase in the national hotel room inventory, with 2,060 new rooms added this year. The Central Bank says that tourism receipts increased by 11.3 %, with tourism contributing an estimated US$5.64 billion to the economy in 2014.

[February 2015]