Guillermone, every island has its clientele. i mean this as no insult, so please put the arrows back into the quivers. but i do not know ONE young man, personally, who did not come here for the girls. surely, couples do, but single men : i am yet to meet one. and many women come here for Senor Sanky. similarly, many people go to Jamaica for the liberal weed availability. all those california potheads are not heading here any time soon. it is more complex than just prices and buildings. besides, the british caribbean will always lure the Americans, because they hate it when they cannot communicate.

Dread-What you are basically saying is that tourism is a niche market. However, though what you state is true, the DR within the tropical island category, has a more universal appeal then most other places in the Caribbean.

There are dozens of tiny english speaking islands that fight for a small market segment, which seeks to attract or is the preference of an anglo-speaking clientele. However, other then the Yucatan peninsula, when you come to think about it, the DR really has no other real competitor, at least not yet. For example, Puerto Rico offers a lot, has a similar product but can not compete on price. Cuba might compete on price and with our girls, but lacks infrastructure and does not have freedom of movement. Cuba offers curiosity seekers the unique opportunity to get a glimpse of a socialist country and the nostalgic experience of a long lost era, yet does not offer the quality of goods and services common to a capitalistic society.

Bottom line, what I am saying is that the DR must not drop their guard; it has to continue to offer quality at the best possible price. It has to always work hard to perfect its product line and continue to grow in the art of hospitality, change and adapt business models accordingly and as it relates to recent industry trends. There are new and emerging Spanish speaking players coming to market and we must be ready. We can not rely and rest on laurels. What we must be aware is that once others begin to notice and realize that the DR is making real money on tourism, (which has already started) everybody will want to get in on the action. Wanting to get a piece of the pie is a normal and natural human tendency.

i fail to understand what you mean when you say "no real competition, at least, not yet". places like Jamaica are not playing "catch-up". these guys were there first, and are good at what they do. remember that the ISSA Brothers invented the all-inclusive thing that we base our tourism on. they might be pricey, but so is Monte Carlo. there are customers at every price level. which is why people go to Bermuda and Grand Cayman. we have great potential, which is undeniable. those guys have experience.

We have everything else the other guy has, plus more. Though an island country, we are much more then just sand and surf. On size alone only Cuba can compete, no one else, yet they lack our diversity. For instance, unlike others in the region, second to the largest, but bigger then most, we are still a relatively small place. However for our size and unusual for a tropical island, we have a widely diverse flora and fauna. Quite remarkable is our contrasting topography. The DR in addition to its jungle-like rain forests, also has a very hot-dry desert terrain by the SW region near the Haitian border with cactus and other similar vegetation common for this kind of landscape. To the other extreme, we can add the tallest peak in the whole Antilles, abundant pine-trees covered mountain slopes and tempatures falling several degrees below freezing during winter months. The area has a climate that very few would associate as typical for a tropical island, strikingly cool balmy weather all year round, unheard of or completely unknown for the Caribbean. And to that we can also add, one of a few largest salt water lakes in the world.

There is no one single island in the immediate area quite like us, no place is more complete or offers greater diversity then the DR. Yes, we have everything, a historic colonial zone as the f irst european settlement in the new world, deserts, tropics, lakes, rivers, great beaches, waterfalls, mountains, hills, an up and coming on the rise sophisticated and cosmopolitan world class city with a newly built euro-style metro or bare-bone rustic but charming rural country towns and/or small villages; the bests of slums and barrios (yeah believe it or not some people love hanging around those areas); ultra luxury housing, with tall, slick high-rise condos or massive castle-like mansions. We have mules and horse drawn carriages standing side-by-side along paved roads competing in urban traffic with high-end automobiles, imposing SUV with distinctive international name brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, BMW, Rolls Royce, Masserati and others. Considered a poor third world country, the DR at one time had more Mercedes-Benz per capita then any country in Latin America. We even have our very own particular brand of corruption and crude decadence, yet at the same time have the ability to offer a wholesome, clean Christian environment for those seeking separation from the carnal pleasures of the world. No place has greater contrast or diversity then the Dom Rep. Yes, we have it all compared to any of the other similar places nearby.

How many pot smokers do you think we will lose to Jamaica? How many English speaking tourists do you believe will by-pass us in favor of the British Commonwealth islands? How many visitors do you guess will skip the DR in preference to Cuba or Puerto Rico? How many of the very wealthy will continually want to stay in the Caymans, Barbados, Bermuda, Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda?

Look, just the gregarious attitude, hospitality, charm and personality alone of most Dominicans is sufficient. Our natural, un-enforced, non-commercial friendliness, will allow us to win half the battle, give us the edge and make us beat most of the other islands without much funfare, regardless of our relative lack of experience in tourism. I personally find our english speaking neighboring islanders to be arrogant to say the least. But in spite of all that, it does not matter. It is vital, the DR has to and must keep working towards being the best tourist destination in the region even if along the way, we do lose a few folks here and there. But of course you can not please everyone and can not be everything to all people, whether or not we have the potential and capacity to do it all.

May this festival of lights bring loads of happiness, health and prosperity to you and your family....

Deepwali is festival of lights and on this occasion all distant family members get along, exchange sweets and pray to Goddess Laxmi ( Creator of wealth and prosperity )

God Bless You!!!!


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Kind Regards,

Rajat

Rajat, I believe you started this forum in order to get insight on new opportunities in the D.R. While I think the tourism industry is going to grow, ( many americans have yet to realize that the D. R is a great vacation spot) I think the money is in agriculture. When Haiti was given a blank slate by the I.M.F, this solidify my opinion. If and when Haiti develops an economy, The D.R is going to be its main trading partner if it already isn't and Haiti is not self sufficient in most agricultural products. Also, the United States and its taste for exotic fruits has recently tapped into the Dominican agriculture. I have also read that the Dominican Avocado is becoming more popular then its competition.

Another thing, to those who think that the Dominicans are lazy people, you are completely wrong. Being raised in the Hills of samana, I awoke every morning to find out that my grandfather and his cohorts were long gone before the crack of dawn to their gardens in la cuchilla, when night falls you would see see these folks gingerly walking down the hills. My point is that the dominican culture is that of hard working self sufficient people. A lot of this culture has been lost in the big cities while we embrace others culture but its still there.