The Secretary of State for Tourism along with representatives of the three main cruise companies of the Dominican Republic will participate in the 15th edition of the cruise fair “Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention” to be celebrated this week at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami.

The Dominican delegation is made up of the Office of Tourism Promotion in Miami; the Association of Hotels in the Dominican Republic; Port of Romana; Bahia Cruise (Port of Samaná); Port of Sans Soucí and tour operator Tequía. They will be showcasing what is new in the country in terms of cruises as well as tourist attractions and complimentary offers, according to a press release from SECTUR.

During the event, the Dominican delegation is seeking to establish new relationships with big cruise companies from around the world, position the country on the map of attractive destinations and strengthen its promotion strategies.

The “Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention,” one of the most important cruise ship fairs in the world, is celebrated yearly in Miami whose port figures among the most important in the sector. The fair is attended by tourism offices, cruise companies, buyers and sellers from around the world who come to promote their products and services and share the latest in technology, ship design, marketing and other services.

This event will unite more than 10,000 people among whom will be 950 displaying their wares and 5,500 professionals from 100 countries. The fair will cover almost all aspects of the cruise line sector which makes it a must-go for the 1,168 cruise operators from the hundreds of companies and cruise lines attending the fair.

Tourism is one of the most important elements of the Dominican economy. In terms of cruises, during 2005-2006 (from October to April), some 260 ships carrying 300,000 passengers landed in the Dominican Republic. According to projections, the tourism sector is expecting more than 500,000 passengers and 300 cruise ships for the 2007-2008 season.

Waldo Tejada; Wendy Justo, Patricia Álvarez and Luis Molina

Wendy Justo and Arturo Fernández