Affordable, accessible vacations for 2010
March 4, 2010 4:31 p.m. EST

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Travel expert Peter Greenberg in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

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Travel and Tourism
Dominican Republic

(CNN) -- Go where the dollar is king.

That's travel expert Peter Greenberg's advice. His latest book "Tough Times, Great Travel: The Travel Detective's Guide to Hidden Deals, Unadvertised Bargains, and Great Experiences," gives travelers the skinny on getting the most out of the down economy.

Greenberg, author of a series of Travel Detective guides, host of a syndicated radio show and travel editor for CBS News, recently traveled to the Dominican Republic during carnival.

CNN spoke with Greenberg while he was in the capital, Santo Domingo, about bargain destinations for 2010 and how the Dominican Republic's tourism industry is responding to the January earthquake in neighboring Haiti. This is an edited version of that conversation.

CNN: What kinds of deals are you seeing and are they as good as they were last year?

Greenberg: Actually, the deals have been good for both years. People need to realize that travel is in our DNA. ... We will always find a way, and it's not just about affordability, it's about accessibility. So what my book talks about and why I'm sitting here in Santo Domingo is to let people know there are options out there throughout the world where the dollar is still king, where you can still have a great vacation, but you don't have to stand in line behind 7,000 people just trying to get an empanada.

CNN: What are some other great value destinations this year?

Greenberg: We're coming into March right now. The best deals you're going to find are going to be June, July and August in [the Caribbean]. It's the off season. ... I go to the Caribbean in June, July and August. The temperature is about 5 degrees hotter and it's empty. That's when you want to come.

CNN: Regardless of hurricanes?

Greenberg: You know what? Right now there are so many places that give you hurricane deals and hurricane guarantees -- you can buy travel insurance. I'm a big proponent of that. Keep in mind you can always buy weather insurance as long as they haven't named the hurricane yet. And then you're protected. The biggest hurricane to hit here happened 12 years ago, so I think you're OK.

CNN: What other destinations should travelers consider in 2010?

Greenberg: Keep in mind that with the economy going so crazy right now in Greece, it's affected the euro. The euro has dropped tremendously, which means the dollar is getting a lot bigger, which is great for us. Argentina is a great bargain. Iceland, believe it or not, is a great bargain because their economy collapsed. Go where the dollar is still king. And in the Caribbean, it's still doing great. Why?
You go in the off-season, you'll be OK.

CNN: What kind of effect is the Dominican Republic's proximity to the disaster in Haiti having on tourism there?

Greenberg: Well, initially, of course, it had a huge effect because people knowing that Haiti and the Dominican Republic are on the same island figured that if Haiti got nailed, so did the Dominican Republic. Didn't happen that way -- in fact, no damage here at all.

When I flew in here the other day we had half the flight filled with relief workers and ministers and doctors. It's still a huge staging ground for the relief efforts going on in Haiti, but what the good thing about that is, you can actually get involved in it. I'm a big fan of volunteer vacations -- "voluntourism," if you will. And so the Dominican Republic becomes a wonderful opportunity, by accident, for people to combine their vacation and also to help give back.

CNN: Is the travel industry in the Dominican Republic marketing more aggressively to tourists to say, "We are open for business, even if you want to sit on the beach"?

Greenberg: Oh absolutely. Remember, travel is the largest industry in the world. It's responsible for the most number of jobs and in 93 countries -- the Dominican Republic being one of them -- it's singularly responsible for the GDP. So as a result, when you start impacting that, you've got a problem. So yes, law of supply and demand. The economy rules and in situations like this, by accident, it's helping them to promote the area. ... It's important to understand the concept of responsible tourism and people can do both.

CNN: What brought you to Santo Domingo, which this year has been designated the American Capital of Culture?

Greenberg: When you think about this history here -- this is where Christopher Columbus showed up. In fact, he's very much still here. Anywhere you walk you're going to see Christopher Columbus. This is where the Spanish showed up. So it's a city and it's a country of firsts: the first cathedral, the first street ... the first square.

CNN: What's not to be missed in the Dominican Republic?

Greenberg: Well, it's carnival time right now. And let me tell you a little bit about carnival, because when you mention the world carnival in terms of culture, everybody thinks go to Rio [Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]. Well, I've been to Rio and Brazil for carnival, and it's like going to Times Square for New Year's Eve. You want to go once? Be my guest. You want to go twice? You get no sympathy from me.
Bottom line is, you do that once and then you go to the countries that do carnival in a much more elegant and intimate way. Trinidad, for example, does a great job for carnival and so does the Dominican Republic. And it's a way to see it, up close and personal without feeling you're jammed there with 7 million people, because you're not.

World Tourism Organization: DR is a reference for performance in tourism

The country has a 400 sq. ft. stand at the ITB-Berlin

Berlin, Germany. The Dominican Republic is taken as reference in the World Tourism Organization given the positive results and the way the tourism sector handled itself in the midst of the global economic crisis that affected that sector of the economy in most parts of the world, according to Francisco Javier Garcia, DR Minister of Tourism on Thursday, while participating along with a Dominican Delegation at the ITB-Berlin.

He explained that the Caribbean country was one of the few in the world that obtained revenues in tourist business and projects a clear growth in the volume of tourists received in their different tourist centers.

He pointed out the from September 2009 to January of this year there has been an “impressive” growth registered as far as the arrival of tourists from Spain, France, Canada and the United States, as from Central and South America, which he attributed to an efficient promotional policy by the country.

Also, that there was a tourist increase of six percent during the first month of the current yeas in comparison to the same period in 2009. And that from the US, despite the economic crisis, his country saw a 13.23 percent increase in tourist arriving from that country; plus increases of 1.7 percent from Spain; 31.27 percent from Central America, and 6.5 percent from South America.

He attributed the increase to the DR’s international promotional efforts, duplicating the in Europe and 60 percent in the US. Highlighted that from the major markets where the country’s offered as a tourist destination, like Spain, the US, France, England and Canada, there has been an increase in travelers of 2.3 percent in January, while the medium-size markets registered 30.9 and the emergent 20.3.

He stated that the country’s international promotional policy will be maintained, towards which they’re satisfied with the agents of the tourist sector in the DR, now with the new slogan “Has it all”, that replaced the previous one ,“Endless”.

Achievements

He stated that the DR has gained much respect as a tourist destination for the quality of the hotels, restaurants and other tourist infrastructures; the professionalism of the personnel and the hospitality of the Dominican people.
That the country is among those that receive the more direct investment in tourist projects, with a portfolio of 63 new projects in execution calculated in over 14 million dollars, to be executed in short, medium and long-term in different regions.

That the proper procedures are being exhausted in the approval of an important project in the southern community of Pedernales which will be called a tourist city, for 40 million square meters, an investment by British entrepreneurs.

He revealed that a Spanish hotel chain will build three hotels in Samana, to be announced this year, but refused to state the company’s name because the owners of the consortium will provide full details in the DR. Also mentioned that 13 hotels will be built in Montecristi by an Israeli business group that’s almost closing negotiations for land and getting approval for the construction to begin.

He expressed that he has spoken from entrepreneurs from different countries interested in investing in the Dominican Republic with villa complexes with golf courses and marinas.

“I’m telling you, go and visit the Dominican Republic, so that they can discover the privileged conditions of our country; for the natural beauty; the way tourists are treated by Dominicans, the human warmth”, said Garcia.

Impact
The Minister of Tourism said that the tour operators and hotel owners are impressed with the room occupation levels in Samana.He said that there are many tourist attractions given the fact that Santo Domingo was declared Cultural Capital of America, which guarantees a wide program of cultural activities for visitors.
He said that at this fair in Berlin, where 180 countries participate and there are 12 thousand exhibitors, the DR has been able to exceed business expectations thru meetings with important tour-operators of German, Canadian airlines, among other countries.

“We can say that our projections are extraordinary and very good for tourism. Our stand is of 400 square feet, the biggest out country’s had in all its history in this fair. We have traditional groups, lots of dynamism and good attractions, for that were among the most visited”, the official expressed.

He assured that the DR will continue as the leader of tourism in the Caribbean region because of the results and expectations given the hard work and continuous promotional effort by the official and private sectors.

“We’ll have good results this year, given the enthusiastic participation of companies that invest in our country. The Condor airline company sees positive news for the DR in 2010 in tourism. We’ve met 100 percent of our goals in the ITB-Berlin fair”.

He informed that West Jet, a Canadian airline company, and one of the most prestigious ones in the area, will increase its flights to the DR given the increase in tourist volume to the country. It will make 2 to 6 weekly flights to Punta Cana; 5 to Puerto Plata and will open 2 to Samana, while they will place promotional advertisements for the DR in its 86 planes.

He said that the government is committed with the tourist sector because it recognizes its importance in the Dominican economy’s development and sustenance, to guarantee foreign investment, jobs and entry of foreign currencies.

As far as infrastructure to facilitate tourist development, millions of pesos are invested in public Works, such as highways, among which he mentioned the Tourist Boulevard of the Atlantic to better communicate Samana, the roadways between Punta Cana and Santo Domingo and renovations of Bayahibe and Boca Chica.