In the last eight years, the Dominican Popular Bank has approved financing of more than US$1.6 billion, which has allowed the construction and renovation of more than 15,000 rooms and has contributed to the generation of direct and indirect jobs for more than 28,000 people.
In a press release, El Popular highlights that it has been the main financier of the national tourism industry for more than 30 years and that in these decades it has innovated with specialized financial solutions, leading important banking operations in synergy with the other subsidiaries that make up the Popular Group.
The financial institution and the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in France hosted a gala dinner in honor of the national delegation, hoteliers and tourism investors with interests in the Dominican Republic, participating in the International French Travel Market – Top Resa 2023, held in Paris, France.
The press release explains that Banco Popular's participation in this tourism fair is part of its commitment to the development of the hotel and tourism sector in the Dominican Republic, supporting its main players in key professional events that are crucial for increasing visitor arrivals to the Dominican Republic and attracting new investments that strengthen the hotel infrastructure.
The dinner, which took place at the Dominican embassy in Paris and was attended by more than thirty people, who chatted amiably during the evening of the first day of the fair.
Top Resa takes place from October 3 to 5 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition center. It is one of the leading tourism trade fairs in Europe and a gateway to French-speaking markets. In 2022, it attracted 29,475 tourism professionals, a third of whom were travel agencies, responsible for driving tourist traffic to various destinations.
Impressive tourism achievements
In his keynote address, the Vice President of the Tourism Business Area, Juan Manuel Martín de Oliva, thanked the Dominican Embassy in France for hosting them once again this year and expressed the financial organization's pride in "the impressive achievements" in the tourism sector: "Without a doubt, the combined work of the public and private sectors is the key to our productive model in tourism," he said.
For her part, the Dominican Republic's ambassador to France, Rosa Hernández de Grullón, stated that "France is one of the most important European countries sending tourists to our destination, which demonstrates a job well done, well thought out and well executed.".
Meanwhile, the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, also emphasized that the success of tourism in the Dominican Republic lies in "the unity between the public and private sectors" and announced that he expects the goal of reaching 10 million tourist visits by December.
The president of the National Association of Hotels and Tourism (ASONAHORES), David Llibre, reaffirmed his appreciation for this public-private partnership, which has allowed for the strengthening and expansion of tourism in the Dominican Republic.
Attendees at the event
Among those attending the gala dinner were prominent business leaders and tourism executives Encarna Piñero, CEO of Grupo Piñero; Frank Elías Rainieri, CEO of Grupo Puntacana; and Antonio Yapor, president of Caribbean Holding Group.
Also in attendance were Ms. Mariel Bera, Vice President of Corporate Relations and Responsible Banking, among other executives of the bank.
Other attendees included Mr. Benedite Cournet, Marketing Representative in France for the Viva Group; Mr. Ekaterina Pavlova, Commercial and Marketing Director of the Meliá Group; Mr. Ricardo Felip Cooter, Vice President of Coral Hospitality; Mr. Sebastien García, General Manager of Meeting Point; Mr. Gustavo de Hostos, President of the Dominican-Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CANCHAMRD); Mr. Ramón Tejeda, Director of Coral Hospitality; Mr. Carlos Medrano, CEO of Runners Adventures; Ms. María Gracia, President of Colonial Tours; Mr. Edward del Valle, President of the Del Valle Group; Ms. Cesarina Beauchamp, Commercial Director of Sky High; and Mr. Rafael Caballero, Vice President of the Preferente Group.
