Many mails today as I'll be traveling next two weeks..
Yacine
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all extracted from DR1 newletter
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15/9
5. Samana megaproject responsible for death of thousands of fish
The Listín Diario, the leading Dominican daily, has followed up on the
story released by El Siglo on the death of schools of small fish in
Samana Bay. Investigations carried out by the government environmental
protection organization, Instituto Nacional de Protección Ambiental
(INPRA) reveal that the megaproject is the leading culprit of the death
of thousands of fish. The "megaproject", a joint Dominican-Arabian and
Spanish venture, calls for the construction of a giant pier as well as
hotel and real estate developments in the Samana Bay area. President
Leonel Fernández himself participated in the ground-breaking ceremony of
the project. INPRA technicians say that if the project promoters would
have implemented their recommendations for the carrying out an
environmental impact study and had followed its recommendations, the
environmental disaster would not have been avoided. The dredging and
drilling and pumping of sludge has affected the fragile environment of
Samana Bay. De! spite the INPRA calling a halt to construction works,
project contractors continue as if nothing had happened.
7. CTO annual conference in Santo Domingo
Final organization works are taking place for the celebration in Santo
Domingo of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s 23rd annual Caribbean
Tourism Conference. The event will be held 23-25 September at the
Renaissance Jaragua Hotel & Casino of Santo Domingo. President Leonel
Fernández is expected to address the delegates at the opening session.
Chris Mottershead, managing director of Airtours Holidays, a leading UK
tour operator, will be the keynote speaker. Workshop topics include:
Tourism marketing in the new millennium; Cruising into the 21st century:
Trends, forecasts and implications for Caribbean destinations.
Developments in the Caribbean time-share industry; E-commerce: How to
buy and sell on the information highway Health, safety and security
expectations of the visitor: Is the Caribbean ready? Charting a new
course for tourism education and training. For more information, see
the Caribbean Tourism Organization web page at www.caribtourism.com
14/9:
7. Manatees make their home at East Coast beach
Dozens of manatees have been spotted giving birth and resting from 10 am
to 2 pm at a 10-kilometer stretch of Playa Limón on the East Coast near
Miches. The area is not inhabited and is known for its tranquility.
Lorenzo Jesus Aquino of the Committee Pro Tourism and Conservation of
Natural Resources of Miches (Conatura) urged government attention to
protect the manatees. Manatees are a species in danger of extinction.
The Navy is patrolling the area, but Conatura urged more participation
from the experts at the National Aquarium, National Parks and Museum of
Natural History to study the phenomenon and protect the manatees.
Manatees are threatened with accidental capture by fishermen, human
predators, or
clashes with motorized boats.
-- ******************** 7. Dominican birds on CD The Anabelle Dod Birdwatchers Club has just released a CD-Rom (Avesdom 1.0 Windows) showing off bird species of the Dominican Republic. The CD Rom carries extensive details on native and migrant species available in the DR. Nicolás López, spokesman for the club, said with the sale of the CD Rom they hope to contribute to increasing education of Dominicans and to the awareness that will bring about an increased preservation of the bird species. He explained their most recent bird count showed that there are more birds now, despite Hurricane Georges last year. The birdwatchers carry out a Christmas Count from 10 December to 5 January. Club members meet monthly at the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural. For more information on the CD Rom, call Tel. 809 531-1270.8. All included prevails in DR The all-included stay modality is the most used system in Dominican hotels. According to "Select Statistics on the Tourism Sector 1999," a statistical report prepared by the Hotel & Restaurant Association, 31.45% of all rooms in the country are offered in all-included plans. The all-included modality is especially prevalent on the North Coast where 55.26% of hotels in Puerto Plata, Sosua, Cabarete, Samana sell the all included plan. In the Southeast and East coasts 39.13% offer the all-included plan. The statistical report reports on the percentages of hotels offering different plans: American Plan (room plus breakfast) 20.97% European Plan (just the room) 18.55% Modified American Plan (room plus breakfast and dinner) 16.13% Full American Plan (room with three meals) 12.90%
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