A lawyer by trade, Mr. Ivanov has been involved in the travel sector since 1994 as chairman of a world-class tour operator -Protocol CD- and president of the Sofia Tourist Council

The Dominican Republic’s travel industry posted an 8.4 percent increase in 2006 in terms of international arrivals and hopes to go that figure one better this time around. In the first two months of 2007, the country has put more good numbers on the board and heads for a successful first-quarter homestretch. The Caribbean nation keeps improving the tourist infrastructure and raising the quality of its hotels in a bid to draw in far more visitors.

In 2006, the Dominican Republic underscored its leadership as one of the Caribbean’s most sought-after travel destinations with a whopping 8 percent growth in the number of foreign visitors. In the first quarter of 2007, the growing trend goes on and poses a new source of encouragement for national and international investments the country’s tourism continues to reel in.

Tourism has panned out to be Panama’s number-one industry, doing one better to the toll money collected by the Canal. Today, the local leisure sector churns out $1.2 billion worth of revenues on a yearly basis. On the other hand, the industry has been growing steadily, peaking a whopping 16 percent increment in 2006 and forecasting a similar figure -or slightly higher- this time up.

For the Iberostar Tainos Hotel in Cuba’s Varadero, clinching guests’ satisfaction is the name of the game. This magnificent establishment has what it takes to lure visitors from all around the world. This is what the property’s general manager had to say in this exclusive interview with Caribbean News Digital.

“Cuba is living the best of times in the realm of tourism and that could become a magnificent steppingstone for the rest of the Caribbean,” said Alvar Ojeda in this exclusive conversation with Caribbean News Digital. With that view in mind, the hotel he’s been at the helm of over the past four months is working hard to cash in on this new window of opportunity.