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Hard Rock rebrands Moon Palace resort in Domincan Republic

Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and Palace Resorts, with resort holdings in the Caribbean, will rebrand the Moon Palace Golf Resort & Spa in the Dominican Republic as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana by spring 2010.

Puerto Plata hurting

Puerto Plata had long been a major tourism center for the DR, registering 20% yearly growth rates during the 1990s, but the last 8 years have seen sharp declines in the number of tourist arrivals. According to the Central Bank, the last time Puerto Plata saw a spike in the number of arrivals was in 2000 when 786,000 tourists visited. Every year since then has seen sharp annual declines, with a…

Dominican Republic: Riches in the ‘poor man’s Caribbean’

A stylish facelift means that the Dominican Republic now caters for more than the mass market – one reason BA has started flying there. Fred Mawer explores. The Dreams Punta Cana is an appealing place. A river-like swimming pool snakes through mature grounds planted with palms and sea grapes. To either side of the property, an untamed white-sand beach extends as far as the eye can see. Facilities for children are excellent. Let’s say you have £900 to spend on…

FROM THE ARCHIVES: BLACK DENIAL IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

This is fantastic article I just found that kind of open my eyes as to my identity as a Dominican and how much the mostly black Dominican Republic believes they are something else.  This is a fascinating article that went deep into this cultural phenomenon. Please enjoy it: Dominican Republic Yara Matos holds her hair extensions as a stylist in the Herrera neighborhood prepares to give her the look of long, straight hair. (Candace Barbot/Miami Herald) BLACK DENIAL Nearly all Dominican women straighten…

Dominicans in beach gear demand access to beaches

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Dozens of Dominicans wearing flip-flops and swim suits and carrying coolers and surfboards soaked in the sun outside Congress on Friday to protest a proposal they say will limit public access to beaches and rivers. “This is not the constitution of my country,” they yelled, referring to…

Ven “altamente insostenible” modelo turístico dominicano

El modelo turístico de República Dominicana es “altamente insostenible” debido a la falta de diversificación, la irresponsabilidad de los desarrolladores de proyectos, el afán de lucro de los empresarios del sector y una cultura de explotación y mal manejo de los recursos naturales. Estas y otras consideraciones son parte de las conclusiones de un diálogo nacional interministerial sobre cambio climático que, organizado por el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente local y el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD),…

Actor Vin Diesel shoots video short in Dominican Republic

American actor Vin Diesel has chosen to shoot his second short, “Los Bandoleros” in the Domincan Republic with a special emphasis on the country’s multicultural roots. His initial attraction for theDomincan Republic was born from his childhood in Manhattan where many of his friends and neighbors were Dominican. The feature was released at the

Youth on Mission in The Dominican Republic: They have so little, but appreciate so much

This is another experience of humanitarian groups that go to DR and help those in need.  Two little points I’d like to make: 1.  It is incredible how the happiness of Dominicans get recorded over and over regardless of  the widespread poverty and social problems.  What is the secret?  No wonder why we made it to the second happiest country in the world. 2. I am so happy to see young people’s lives being changed by those trips and…

Dominicans Out of World Basketball

You can’t win joining a team so fast as they did it San Juan, (EFE) .- Canada is ranked today FIBA World Turkey 2010 with a surprise victory over the Dominican Republic, 80-76, at the close of the quarter-finals of the Tournament of the Americas, held in the coliseum ‘Roberto Clemente’ San Juan, Puerto Rico. Canada joins Angola, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Ivory Coast, China, USA, Iran, Jordan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Tunisia and Turkey, as the…

Microsoft invests in small business

Image via CrunchBase Microsoft Dominicana will invest an estimated US$4 million in small and medium sized Dominican businesses (pymes) between June 2009 and June 2010. The funds are being used to provide the small companies with IT solutions. Microsoft’s general manager in the DR, Juan Lora, says the funds should generate a positive impact beyond the…