DATE 2015, the 16th edition of the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange, took place April 28-30 in Punta Cana. We hit the road (and the air) once again to see everything that the Dominican Republic has to offer to the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) market.
DATE is the Dominican tourist sector’s most important international fair organized by the Dominican Republic’s Association of Hotels and Tourism, Inc. It has been created to provide a professional atmosphere for business exchanges between international tour operators and travel agents and the suppliers of the Dominican tourist product.
Here is a look at the some of the exhibitors at the convention:
Every year it is attended by hundreds of tour operators and travel agents –mainly from the United States, Canada, Europe and South America. Ever since its first edition in 2000, DATE has been able to establish itself as “the official event of Dominican tourism.”
According to data of the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the number of non-resident foreign visitors who arrived in the country by air from January to September of this year has grown 9.99%, registering a total of 3,414,551 arrivals. North America has contributed 58.04% of the foreign tourists arriving through the Dominican Republic’s airports; Europe 25.42%; South America 11.84%.
Our stay at the Barcelo Bavaro Beach was convenient to the onsite convention center and allowed plenty of opportunity to play, eat and – yes – drink some of the local favorites. My new cocktail is the Mama Juana – a mixture of rum, red wine, and honey to soak in a bottle with tree bark and herbs. Couldn’t get enough of that stuff.
Looking forward to going back to this fun locale and country with large groups of people who want to have fun in the sun.