Dominican Republic Cigar News

The tobacco industry has exported US$1.13 billion worth of goods in the last four years, according to Dominican Tobacco Institute director Adalberto Rosa. Tobacco exports have been climbing steadily over the last four years. Annual exports are registered at about 550 million units, with a total of 2.3 billion units over the last four years. The Dominican tobacco sector is comprised of 6,150 producers, directly employing 36,000 agricultural workers. The sector also directly employs another 117,000 workers.

This year, 189,959 quintals of tobacco were produced, most to be used in cigars for export. Last year, the country exported 687.2 million cigars, with estimated revenue of US$274.1 million.

Dominican Republic will receive more than $2 billion in foreign investments this year, a figure the country’s Export and Investment Center (CEI-RD) director Eddy Martinez calls a record.

He said all the investments are for private sector projects that don’t need approval by Congress.

One of the proposed projects, Martinez said, is by Spanish investors who seek to build a high speed train between the capital Santo Domingo and Santiago, which is in the study phase, and doesn’t require government spending.

President Leonel Fernandez first announced the high-speed train project in his recent tour of Europe, where he also met with Spanish investors interested in his country’s thriving tourism industry.

The CEI-RD director said many of the projects and their locations have already been approved, while in others the lands have been bought and the architectonic designs concluded. He added that in some of cases investors await only the financing, for approval by the Tourism and Environment ministries.

Celebrating La Cana and Teeth of the Dog

Two Dominican golf courses have made the exclusive Top 20 International Golf Courses ranked in the magazine Celebrated Living.

The Dominican Republic is the only country in the Caribbean with two courses in the prestigious list: La Cana Golf Course (a P.B. Dye course) in Punta Cana on the east coast and Teeth of the Dog in Casa de Campo, La Romana (designed by Pete Dye) on the southeastern coast. Coincidentally, both courses were designed by the Dye family.

Events

Organic Coffee Festival in Polo
Polo, Barahona
7 June – 8 July

Danny Rivera and Maridalia Hernandez will open the Polo Organic Coffee Festival with performances under the stars in Polo, Barahona on Saturday, 7 June. On Sunday, 8 June Sonia Silvestre and Victor Victor will close the two days of exhibitions of coffee producers and small vendors in the area. The folklore of Polo will also be present, with palo, congo, ga-ga, salve, guloya performances. The concerts seek to encourage the people of the area to value the organic farming. 15,000 persons are expected to attend. Artist Roldan Marmol, who produces the event, says it will be a combination of economic and social interests with cultural and artistic expressions.

Kiteboarding in Cabarete
Cabarete, Puerto Plata
25 - 29 June

Fernando Villalona, Sergio Vargas and Hector Acosta will be taking the stage of the Teatro La Fiesta at the Hotel Jaragua as of 9pm for the concert named "Three Feelings." The three are merengue band leaders that have prevailed over the past three decades. They have come together for an evening of romantic music, with boleros, ballads, bachatas in addition to merengues. Tickets are for sale at the Jaragua and Movie Max.
http://www.arturosandoval.com

Merengue Festival
Various venues
24 – 27 July

The Santo Domingo Merengue Festival, organized annually by the Ministry of Tourism, is set this year for July 24 to July 27. The program includes the biggest names in the industry, such as Toño Rosario, India Canela and Kinito Mendez, Fernando Villalona, La Banda Gorda, Pochy Familia y la Coco Band, Eddy Herrera, and Sergio Vargas. For the closing night, there will be simultaneous performances by merengue bands in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.