The Office of Tourism Promotion (OPT) of the Dominican Republic for Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia announced that a Bogotá-Santo Domingo route, to be operated by AVIANCA Airlines, will begin this coming June. The one-per day flights, according to AVIANCA, are scheduled to begin on June 14th in the modern Airbus A 319, each with 120 passenger seat capacity.

The Office of Tourism Promotion (OPT) of the Dominican Republic for Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia announced that a Bogotá-Santo Domingo route, to be operated by AVIANCA Airlines, will begin this coming June.

Take-off time from Bogotá will be 10:00 a.m. daily with arrivals in Santo Domingo at 1:00 p.m. The flight from Santo Domingo to Bogotá is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. with a Bogotá arrival at 5:00 p.m. This schedule is subject to changes as are international connections, according to a press release from the Ministry of Tourism.

René Contreras López, Director of the OPT for Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia said this new route “is an alternative flight that will supply more needed seats and add to travel possibilities for the South American travel market to the Dominican Republic,” thus becoming “an excellent boom for the Caribbean tourism sector.”

This new route serves to complement the charter flights already in operation by AVIANCA between Bogotá and Punta Cana on Saturdays and Sundays, observed Mr. Contreras.

As a prelude to the new route, the OPT - with its headquarters in the Colombian capital - and AVIANCA will begin a series of activities to promote the extremely popular Dominican destination. The OPT will also undertake similar initiatives in Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Chile.

A parade, with the participation of hotels and Dominicans, is planned for Colombian cities and the capitals of Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Chile.

Contreras pointed out that Colombia is positioning itself as one of the largest passenger volume markets from South America to the DR. In 2007, 31,071 Colombian tourists visited the island. This same year, 15,158 Ecuadorans visited and 13,073 came from Peru.

“It is essential to point out that the South American market is becoming more and more important for the Dominican Republic where Félix Jiménez, Minister of Tourism, has set his sights on increasing the flow of people from this region. For that reason, this new initiative will strengthen the strategy of our Minister of Tourism and benefit the national tourism industry,” concluded Contreras.