A new destination management company (DMC) has been launched to help tour operators put together programmes in the Dominican Republic outside of its traditional beach resorts.
Experience Dominican Republic will source product in areas of the Caribbean nation which are less frequented by tourists, including hidden beaches, waterfalls and lagoons, allowing operators to create itineraries.
Jean-Marc Flambert, director of destination marketing company Your Tourism Partner, thought up the idea after spotting a gap in the touring market in the Dominican Republic.
“What we want to do is work with the tour operators to open up areas that they haven’t had the time to go and explore themselves, with trusted partners, who can provide something new, something reliable, very quickly and very efficiently,” he said.
Experience Dominican Republic started as a joint venture between Flambert, Jose Alney Uribe from Dominican Republic-based Rincones de mi País and Miguel Ramirez at Urban Adventures.
The tours will be best suited to customers who would usually look towards Cuba and Latin America.
“[Experience Dominican Republic] would present us with an opportunity for this kind of travel to be sold to the people that want to do it, at a time which we are wanting to have more sustainable travel, and more better distribution of wealth in general,” said Sabrina Cambiaso, director of the Dominican Republic Tourist Board.
“This is a lot more sustainable for the smaller communities, the smaller businesses and independent hotels.”
Operators will be able to check availability and tailor-make tours in real time using online platform Traveledge, also the brainchild of Flambert, when it rolls out at the end of the year
Experience Dominican Republic is positioned under the umbrella Experience Hispaniola, which will expand to offer tours in Haiti in the coming years.