The Latest News From The Dominican Republic #GoDomRep

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MINISTRY OF TOURISM UPDATE

Dominican Airline Announces U.S. Expansion | Pawa Dominicana announced daily flights from Santo Domingo-Miami will start Nov. 16. Pawa Dominicana is the first commercial Dominican airline offered in the U.S. in over 20 years and will soon offer flights in New York.  www.pawadominicana.com Cap Cana Marina to Become New Cruise Port | The Cap Cana Marina will start accepting cruises Dec. 8 for its first cruise season, with majority of incoming cruises classifying as luxury vessels. This new port is part of Dominican Republic’s goal to achieve 10 million tourists by 2022. New Luxury Complex Planned for Puerto Plata | Foreign investors announced a $1 billion investment for the Punta Alma project, a new luxury complex in Puerto Plata. The development will include a hotel, spa, golf course, villas, apartments and a marina. Marine Mammal Sanctuary Celebrates 30 Years | The Dominican Republic Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Marine Mammal Sanctuary, located off the coast of Samaná. The sanctuary protects the habitat of thousands of humpback whales who come to the area’s warm waters each year for mating season. Merengue and Caribbean Rhythms Festival Takes on Two Cities | The 2016 Merengue and Caribbean Rhythms Festival will be held Nov. 5-6 in Santo Domingo and Nov. 12-13 in Puerto Plata to celebrate Caribbean rhythms like, merengue, salsa and urban music.

Explore upcoming events in Dominican Republic: www.GoDominicanRepublic.com/events/upcoming

Pawa Dominicana Becomes The First Dominican Republic Airline To Offer Scheduled Flights To U.S. In Decades

Pawa Dominicana marks a new milestone in the Caribbean’s aviation industry with the arrival of its first passenger service to Miami from Santo Domingo, making it the first commercial Dominican airline to offer flights to the United States in over 20 years. The airline’s new route, which was announced at a press conference yesterday, will start Nov. 16, 2016 and tickets are already available for purchase online.

The airline will connect the Dominican Republic capital and South Florida with two daily flights offered every day of the week. In addition, the airline’s routes will allow for quick connections to other popular Caribbean destinations like Curacao, St. Maarten, Antigua, Port Au Prince, Aruba, Puerto Rico and Havana.

“In the case of Cuba, an attractive destination for Miami’s residents given the large community of Cuban expats who have settled in the city, Pawa offers a unique multi-destination opportunity to explore Santo Domingo and Havana in one trip,” said the Chairman of Pawa Dominicana’s Board of Directors, Luis Ramirez.

The Director of the Dominican Republic Office of Tourism in Miami, Wendy Justo, was also present at the press conference to stress the importance of this announcement in increasing travel to the Dominican Republic.

“This is good news for everyone, especially for travelers who wish to see our Dominican capital and experience the beauty that characterizes our island,” said Justo. “We are confident that having this national airline fly to Miami will help us achieve the goal of 10 million visitors in the coming years.”

“Pawa offers a different experience with an emphasis on the human aspect of customer service,” stated Pawa Dominicana U.S. Country Manager Daniel Castillo. “We offer the broadest variety of ticket sales channels, in addition to the typical Dominican warmth, both on board and on ground. Additionally, our punctuality rate has exceeded 93 percent during our first year of operations,” said Castillo.

According to the Dominican Republic Office of Tourism in Miami, the city Miami is one of the busiest destinations to and from Santo Domingo, so the opening of this route is greatly anticipated by passengers.

Other advantages include Pawa’s baggage allowance, which will permit passengers to carry a suitcase of up to 50 lbs. and a carry-on of up to 22 lbs., as well as hot food and open bar service on board. Santo Domingo-Miami flights will depart from Las Américas International Airport at 10:00 a.m. and 6:15 p.m., and from Miami International Airport at 5:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

New York will be the next destination in the airline’s expansion plan, which includes new direct flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Punta Cana. Pawa Dominicana is the Dominican Republic’s flagship airline and aims to position Santo Domingo as the Latin American hub for Caribbean travel.

About Pawa Dominicana

Pawa Dominicana began operations in August 2015, has an investment of over $53 million to date, a total of 298 direct employees, and a projection of over 116,000 passengers by the end of 2016. For more information about Pawa Dominicana and its new route, visit www.PawaDominicana.com.