After 17 years, firearms will again be able to be legally imported into the Dominican Republic. President Luis Abinader enacted Decree 30-23 last Tuesday, 8 February 2023 with new dispositions in this direction.
Minister of the Interior and Police Jesus (Chu) Vasquez told reporters that the new imports will be strictly for the import of firearms to be used by security firms, just as specified in the decree. The decree calls for the Ministry of the Interior and Police to establish just what types of firearms will be allowed to be purchased abroad.
According to the reports in several newspapers, there are hundreds of firms that have licenses to sell firearms, but reports also indicate that close to twice that number deal in firearms but without formal permits.
On an encouraging note, Servio Tulio Castaños Guzman, the executive vice president of the Institutionalism and Justice Foundation (Finjus) said that he was confident that the government was capable of handling the new arms imports over the coming six months.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (Micm) announced the new “Made in Dominican Republic” stamp so that national and foreign consumers can identify products that are made in the country. The stamp applies to products made in the country, including those manufactured in export zones.
Industry and Commerce Minister Víctor (Ito) Bisonó and the president of the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD), Julio Brache, said that 29 companies are the first to be authorized to use the stamp.
Julio Virgilio Brache, president of the AIRD, said the initiative increases the added value of the products. The stamp adds a valuable intangible value reflected in the prestige of Made in the Dominican Republic.
The stamp is a protected distinctive sign registered in accordance with Law 20-00 on Industrial Property of the Dominican Republic and is complemented by a manual of use and graphic identity for its application by interested industries.
The issuance of the License of Use of the Made in Dominican Republic Stamp is free of charge, is voluntary, and needs to be requested online.
The Dominican low-cost carrier, Arajet is the first local airline to eliminate the US$10 tourist card fee charged to Dominican nationals and residents. Now local residents that fly with Arajet will be exempt from the charge. At present, local residents need to request a reimbursement. The law establishes that only tourists should pay the tax.
The Dominican airline Arajet is the first to adapt its computer system to eliminate the US$10 tourist card fee charged to Dominican users, as stipulated by a resolution of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) for airlines transporting passengers to and from the Dominican Republic.
The Civil Aviation Board (JAC) has given international airlines until 1 March 2023 to apply the resolution and selectively apply the charge only to foreign tourists.
The Spanish travel conglomerate Meliá introduces “resortainment” to Dominican tourism experiences. President Luis Abinader was in Punta Cana last week to inaugurate the first phase of the Katmandu Park Punta Cana. Melia promotes the amusement park as Latin America’s most modern theme park. The park opens to the general public on 15 March 2023.
Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Meliá Hotels International, the leading investor, said that the first phase of Katmandu Park has called for an investment of US$80 million. US$90 million more will be invested in a second phase, for a total of US$170 million.
The amusement park offers interactive walkthrough attractions, 3D and 4D cinema with special effects, zip-line, slow-moving carrousel, and mini-golf… to guests staying at the Falcon’s by Meliá Punta Cana, the country’s new “resortainment” facility. Among the attractions is the Venture into the Himalayas with explorer Kilgore Goode activity, including a face-to-face encounter with a fearsome yeti and the mythical Desirata. Legend of the Desirata is a 4D dark ride that heaves, tilts, accelerates, and spins.
The park is located adjacent to the Falcon’s Resort by Meliá – All Suites Punta Cana, resulting from an investment of US$10 million in a redesign and rebranding of the Melia resort.
President Abinader was in Punta Cana accompanied by First Lady Raquel Arbaje; Minister of Tourism David Collado; and top executives of Meliá Hotels International, headed by Gabriel Escarrer Jaume and business partner Scott Demerau of the US company Falcon’s Beyond.
Also present were Mark Hoddinot, chief real estate officer of Meliá Hotels International, Álvaro Sans, architect of Meliá Hotels International, and Francisco Camps Orfila, managing director of Meliá Hotels International in the country, and the governor of the province of La Altagracia, Martina Pepén.
Melia also announced the remodeling of the nearby Paradisus Palma Real, an investment of US$55 million.
The last Shen Yun performances in the Dominican Republic are scheduled for 6 and 7 February in Santiago de los Caballeros at the Gran Teatro Cibao. What is promoted as a Chinese original dance spectacle is surrounded by controversy.
The Embassy of China protested the performances, saying it was part of a cult not allowed in China. Epoch Times, a publication started by a Chinese citizen who migrated to the United States after the Tiananmen Square tragedy, defends the performances. The New Yorker shares insights into the controversy.
