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The Dominican Republic’s tourism sector has made reclaiming its pre-pandemic, pre-conflict Russian tourist market a top strategic priority, according to the nation’s Minister of Tourism David Collado. In comments reported by local outlet Acento, Collado outlined the significant barriers that have blocked the resumption of full travel ties between the Caribbean nation and Russia, the most pressing of which are overflight restrictions imposed by the United States and Europe. These restrictions have derailed plans to launch direct air routes between the two countries, eliminating the most efficient travel option for Russian visitors.

In the period after direct connections were halted, indirect travel via Cuban airspace offered a limited workaround for Russian tour operators and travelers. Collado confirmed, however, that shifting circumstances in Cuba have now made this indirect route unviable, leaving the Dominican Republic without a reliable pathway to welcome large volumes of Russian tourists. Despite these challenges, the minister noted that Russian travel industry players have remained engaged, with consistent communication reaching Dominican authorities from operators eager to restart packaged travel to the country’s popular beach and resort destinations.

Collado also highlighted a small win for the nation’s international tourism recovery, confirming that commercial air operations between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have officially resumed. Even with this progress, he emphasized that restoring access to the Russian market remains a non-negotiable priority for the sector. Prior to the suspension of air links, the Dominican Republic welcomed roughly 500,000 Russian tourists annually, making Russia one of the largest source markets for the country’s tourism-dependent economy.

The sharp drop in Russian visitor numbers stems from a convergence of multiple overlapping factors beyond just airspace restrictions. The ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has reshaped global travel regulations for Russian operators and travelers. Additionally, long-haul flight operations face sustained economic and logistical headwinds, Russian airlines face broad international sanctions that limit their operations, and shifting economic conditions in both Russia and the Dominican Republic have added further complexity to restarting the market. With Russia located more than 11,000 kilometers from the Caribbean nation, developing a workable travel solution will require creative navigation of ongoing geopolitical and economic barriers.

In the lead-up to Father’s Day in Greater Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, foot traffic in commercial plazas and retail stores has ticked upward in recent days — but both shoppers and business operators agree that total sales remain well below the averages recorded in years before the current economic downturn.

As shoppers browsed city streets for gifts on the Saturday before the holiday, the most common refrain centered on the crippling impact of skyrocketing living costs, which has turned the annual tradition of gift-giving into a far more challenging expense than it was a decade ago. Normally, the week leading up to Father’s Day brings packed crowds to commercial areas across the capital, but widespread price hikes have forced consumers to be far more deliberate about where they spend their limited budgets, cutting back on non-essential purchases even for loved ones.

Inside most retail outlets, foot traffic remains notably sparse, with many aisles holding only two to three shoppers at a time. Jennifer Mariñez, a sales associate at a local apparel store, noted that while foot traffic has picked up gradually from Friday, overall sales are moving far slower than in previous cycles. She added that an emerging trend of last-minute shopping has taken hold in recent years, with many consumers delaying purchases until the final hours before the holiday.

The pressure of upcoming back-to-school expenses has further dampened Father’s Day spending, according to local shoppers. Ana Rosado, a mother and wife who toured multiple shopping districts including Duarte Avenue and Luperón Street looking for a gift, confirmed that most stores have seen drastically lower customer volumes. She pointed out that demand for school supplies has already outpaced Father’s Day gift purchases, as families prioritize mandatory education costs over holiday celebration spending.

Shifting cultural trends also play a role in softening retail sales, according to some consumers. Rafael Montero, a father of three, said he increasingly prefers shared memorable experiences over material gifts for Father’s Day — a preference that he says is growing across Dominican families. “You have to adapt to the times,” Montero explained, noting that many families now opt for home-cooked meals, day trips, or other shared activities instead of purchasing physical presents.

Even with these broader shifts, traditional apparel remains one of the most popular gift categories for shoppers who do choose to buy physical presents. Shirts, basic t-shirts, socks, and undergarments top the list of most sought-after items, holding steady as a go-to choice for consumers who want to give a tangible gift to their fathers or partners.

Staff at a Duarte Avenue clothing store told local outlet Listín Diario that they expect a late rush of customers to boost end-of-day sales, matching the annual pattern seen in past Father’s Day celebrations. Business so far has been slower than a typical workday, they confirmed, but the team remains optimistic that consumer traffic will pick up as the workday ends. They noted that most early shoppers have been couples buying gifts for partners, and that the traditional late surge of children purchasing gifts for their fathers is still expected to arrive before closing, which could bring a much-needed boost to final holiday sales numbers.

SANTO DOMINGO — In a major announcement for economic development in the Dominican Republic’s northern zone, Vice President Raquel Peña confirmed Saturday that construction on the long-awaited Amber Highway infrastructure project is slated to kick off in August. The transformative route will cut travel time between the high-population provinces of Santiago and Puerto Plata to under 30 minutes, with targeted goals of accelerating tourism, cross-regional commerce, logistics efficiency, and broad-based economic expansion across the 14 provinces that make up the country’s northern region.

Peña shared the update with reporters following a joint expanded working meeting hosted by the Association of Merchants and Industrialists of Santiago (ACIS), which gathered representatives from allied regional institutions, leaders from across Cibao provinces, and Eduardo Estrella, the head of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC), alongside other key stakeholders.

“We are very pleased with the start of this project,” Peña told attendees, noting that the highway will unlock widespread benefits, sustained growth, and long-term development for the entire northern corridor. She emphasized that Santiago and the broader Cibao region are currently undergoing a period of robust economic and urban expansion, which has created urgent demand for upgraded infrastructure to meet growing population needs for mobility, interregional connectivity, and development support. The vice president also extended gratitude to the local private sector for its ongoing collaboration on the initiative, confirming that the national government is prioritizing public works investments that underpin regional growth through the construction and expansion of roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure assets.

According to MOPC Minister Estrella, the project is currently in the final pre-construction phase, with contract signing and stakeholder socialization underway with the firms that won the competitive bidding process. Back in early July, the Amber Highway Consortium SRL — a joint venture made up of four leading domestic construction firms: Ingeniería Estrella, Rizek Constructora, Magna, and Constructora Mar — secured the bid for the highway’s design and construction, awarded by the national RD Vial Trust.

To speed up project delivery, Estrella explained, three simultaneous construction fronts will be established: one working northbound from Santiago toward Puerto Plata, a second working southbound from Puerto Plata toward Santiago, and a third operating from the route’s midpoint, cutting total build time by leveraging coordinated multi-point work.

During the ACIS working session, Estrella also outlined the full slate of ongoing public infrastructure projects the government is rolling out across Santiago and the broader northern region, all designed to improve interregional connectivity, enhance road safety, and boost the global competitiveness of the Cibao area. Key priority projects highlighted include the expansion of the Navarrete ring road to four lanes, the widening of the existing Santiago-Licey highway, and new road connection works linking Moca and other nearby population centers.

On ongoing national paving programs, Estrella noted that MOPC currently has multiple work brigades operating simultaneously across Santiago, Puerto Plata, San Francisco de Macorís, and other northern provinces. He added that due to ongoing national budget constraints and global increases in construction material costs, all infrastructure interventions are being rolled out according to evidence-based technical priority criteria, to ensure the needs of communities across the entire country are addressed in a balanced, equitable manner.

ACIS President Marcos Santana, for his part, framed the cross-sector meeting as a sign of strong collaborative momentum. He noted that the participation of representatives from the northern region’s core productive, commercial, industrial, and service sectors demonstrates the clear commitment of the business community and organized civil society to work in coordinated partnership with the national government to advance initiatives that drive inclusive development across the Cibao region. Saturday’s gathering was organized in direct response to concerns raised by regional leaders during a prior working meeting held last week at the Vice President’s offices in the National Palace, putting collaborative problem-solving into action on a tight timeline.