The Preferente Group, within the framework of the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) 2024, awarded recognition to Juan Manuel Martín de Oliva, vice president of the Tourism Business Area of Banco Popular Dominicano, for his contributions to the development of the tourism industry in the Dominican Republic.
The awards ceremony took place in the Neptune Room at the IFEMA trade fair center. The event was attended by the Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, David Collado; Biviana Riveiro, Executive Director of ProDominicana; the President of the Balearic Islands Government, Margarita Prohens; and the President and CEO of the World Tourism Council, Julia Simpson, as well as other prominent figures in the tourism sector.
This award recognizes the contribution that Martín de Oliva has made to the development of tourism in the Dominican Republic from his role as head of the business unit responsible for promoting tourism businesses at Banco Popular.
"This recognition is a tribute to the collective effort of the entire Banco Popular team, who have worked tirelessly to position our institution as a benchmark in the tourism sector," said Mr. Martín de Oliva, highlighting the importance of teamwork in these achievements.
During the awards ceremony, Juan Llull, president of Hipotels; Alfonso Paredes, vice president of Expedia; Javier Arus, senior partner of Hotels & Leisure at Azora; and Francisco Miralles, president of THB Hotels, were also recognized.
Career focused on tourism
Juan Manuel Martín de Oliva joined Banco Popular in 1998, and since then, in his various roles, he has been instrumental in consolidating the bank as the main financier of tourism in the Dominican Republic, which currently holds a market share of 38.2% in loans to the sector as of December 2023, according to the Central Bank.
This calculation only takes into account loans granted to hotels, excluding those intended for complementary tourist services or tourism-related infrastructure. Furthermore, it does not include the financial contribution from Popular Bank, which would mean that the actual percentage is considerably higher.
Additionally, during its tenure, Banco Popular has been institutionally recognized by organizations in the sector, including the Caribbean Tourism Exchange, ASONAHORES, the Samaná Tourism Cluster, the East Zone Hotel Association, the Caribbean Traveling Network, the Dominican Consortium for Tourism Competitiveness and, recently, the World Tourism Organization for the bank's support of this sector.
