Posts Tagged ‘#dominicanrepublic’

Cruise Lines and Destinations Map Out Mutual Success at the FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

MIRAMAR, Fla., Oct. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Hundreds gathered in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic with one common goal: improve cruise tourism, especially the mutual benefits between destinations and cruise companies. That was again the main theme of another successful FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show, which celebrated its 28th annual occasion and 50 years of operations for Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA).

“I want to applaud everyone throughout the Dominican Republic who coordinated this successful event and showcased the spectacular destination; it is clear that the country is committed to cruise tourism, which President Luis Abinader affirmed in his remarks and participation,” said Michele Paige, FCCA CEO. “It was also humbling to see the continued conviction in FCCA’s mission witnessed by all the attendees and cruise executives who joined to keep working together to build back better.”

Taking place October 11-14, the event featured its usual blend of workshops, meetings and networking functions for the over 500 attendees and 70 cruise executives, but with a new twist – or what Paige called a “new beginning” in her opening remarks – because of the enhanced communications and collaborations arising from the difficult pandemic.

That cooperation was evident throughout the entire agenda, with ways to seize the momentum being the talk of the event and including discussions of longer stays, overnights and homeporting, along with the importance of developing creative, customer-focused experiences to support the demand – and the direct ability for destination stakeholders to work with cruise lines on those goals available at the event.

Michael Bayley, President & CEO of Royal Caribbean International, echoed these sentiments in his opening remarks, noting the “better relationships” built by “work[ing] through a lot of issues and problems and challenges collectively as a team” – while showing the smoother seas ahead as evidenced by sailing above 100% occupancy and registering strong bookings and earnings.

How to capitalize on this for destinations – and the entire Caribbean and Latin American regions – was up front and center for 22 high-ranking government officials and a cruise executive panel including five Presidents and above from FCCA Member Lines, led by Josh Weinstein, President & CEO and Chief Climate Officer of Carnival Corporation & plc, who delivered remarks and comments at the Heads of Government Forum before steering the conversation to other potential mutual benefits, such as employment and purchasing opportunities.

Overall, partnership took the spotlight, and so did FCCA’s Strategic Partners, the Cayman Islands and the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Kenneth Bryan, Minister of Tourism and Transport of the Cayman Islands, coordinated a dinner for the heads of government and shared the importance of working with FCCA to propel cruise tourism in this video, and the USVI delegation, led by Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte, was engaged and energetic as they interacted with Member Lines and other participants. Both also took part in the “Operating in a Post Pandemic World” workshop.

Headlining the workshop schedule was the “Presidential Panel,” which included Gus Antorcha, President, Holland America Line; Michael Bayley; Richard Sasso, Chairman, MSC Cruises USA; and Howard Sherman, President & CEO, Oceania Cruises.

About Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA)

FCCA is a not-for-profit trade organization that represents the mutual interests of destinations and stakeholders throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Mexico, along with Member Lines that operate over 90 percent of the global cruising capacity. For more information, visit F-CCA.com and @FCCAupdates on FacebookInstagram and Twitter.

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UnionPay Acceptance Enabled in the Dominican Republic

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Aug. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — UnionPay International (UPI) today announced its partnership with Cardnet, the largest acquirer in the Dominican Republic, to enable UnionPay acceptance at all Cardnet merchants. This is the first time that UnionPay card services are made available in the country. The UnionPay acceptance network has thus extended to 181 countries and regions, covering more than 37 million merchants outside the Chinese mainland.

In recent years, UPI has stepped up its effort in extending and enhancing its overseas acceptance network, and the offline card usage environment has continued to be optimized. In the first half of this year, more than 1.7 million merchants outside the Chinese mainland enabled UnionPay acceptance, significantly improving the user experience in Europe, North America, and other places, and the number of online UnionPay merchants increased to 22 million. Mobile payment services have been developing rapidly, with 13 million merchants in 95 countries and regions outside the Chinese mainland supporting UnionPay QR or mobile QuickPass. The latest survey by Juniper Research, a British consulting firm, shows that UPI has become one of the global leaders in QR payment.

The Dominican Republic is one of the largest economies in the Caribbean region. The partnership with Cardnet enables about 30,000 POS terminals to take UnionPay cards, boosting the local acceptance coverage to nearly 50% in a short period of time with a focus on optimizing cardholder experience in hotels, airports, retailers and F&B merchants. The collaboration will satisfy the demand of business travelers to the country for essential purchases and facilitate the people-to-people exchanges between China and the Dominican Republic.

With its strengths in the network, UPI is striving to serve more international cardholders and support China’s mutual exchanges with the rest of the world. Over 190 million UnionPay cards have been issued in more than 70 countries and regions around the world, of which 30 countries and regions have also rolled out 140 UnionPay-powered e-wallets, providing local residents with quality mobile payment services based on UnionPay cards.

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The Dominican Republic Fully Committed to Hosting the 2022 FCCA Cruise Conference

MIRAMAR, Fla., June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) is pleased to announce that the Dominican Republic will host the 2022 FCCA Cruise Conference, the only official cruise conference representing the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America. Taking place in Santo Domingo from October 11-14, the event will feature a series of meetings, workshops and networking opportunities with an expected 100 high-level executives from FCCA Member Lines, which represent more than 90 percent of global ocean cruising capacity. It will also allow the Dominican Republic to showcase its potential for increased benefits from cruise tourism and help the destination fulfill targeted objectives.

“I am thankful for the continued partnership with the Dominican Republic that paved the way to hosting the FCCA Cruise Conference,” said Micky Arison, Chairman of Carnival Corporation and FCCA. “This will be a crucial time and place for the industry gather to continue cruise tourism’s recovery, and it is a testament to the country’s commitment.”

All Conference participants will have access to workshops led by cruise executives and successful stakeholders, including ones focused on tour operators and increasing local employment and sourcing opportunities.

Participants will also have opportunities to interact with the expected 100 cruise executives during a series of meetings – including one-on-one meetings – and networking functions throughout the event, which will be celebrating FCCA’s 50th anniversary.

Additionally, the Dominican Republic will showcase some of the best to see, eat and hear in the destination for cruise guests, along with what its opportunities for growth that hosting the event has historically driven.

Before, during and after the event, FCCA will work with the Dominican Republic toward its goals of developing a new cruise terminal in Samana and increasing demand for Sans Souci Terminal in Santo Domingo. FCCA is also partnering with the Dominican Republic on initiatives focused on cruise lines hiring citizens, cruise ships sourcing local goods, and increasing the already high percentage of cruisers that return as overnight guests.

More details about and registration for the event will be announced in the coming months and available at www.FCCAConference.com.

About Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA)

Created in 1972, FCCA is a not-for-profit trade organization representing mutual interests of the cruise industry and destinations’ private and public sectors. For more information, visit F-CCA.com and @FCCAupdates on FacebookInstagram and Twitter.

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ARCHIPELAGO ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF DOMINICAN TO IT’S GLOBAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

JAKARTA, Indonesia, April 29, 2022 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Dominican, Jose Luis Leonardo, has been promoted to Vice President – The Americas by Southeast Asian international hotel management group, Archipelago. The internal promotion also sees him joining the Global Executive Committee of Archipelago and is effective immediately.

Jose Luis Leonardo, has been promoted to Vice President

“Since joining our Group, initially as General Manager of our first hotel in Cuba, GRAND ASTON Cayo Las Brujas and then as Director of Operations – The Americas, Jose Luis has shown incredible leadership skills in developing our business in the region, under very difficult operational conditions. From day one, Jose Luis understood the capabilities of our Group, our owner centric ethos, the vision of our leadership and the very ambitious tactical plans we had put in place to support our regional expansion. His new role supports and accelerates these plans. Archipelago has a strong track record of developing local talent and Jose Luis’s progression to Global Executive Committee is testament to that.” said Gerard Byrne, Managing Director, Archipelago.

Archipelago is currently experiencing rapid growth in its hotel portfolio in Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean with over 30,000 rooms operating and a further 10,000 under development globally. Following significant investment in its technology and digital platforms in recent years, Archipelago is now partnering with and significantly improving the performance of independent hotels and hotel groups with Powered by ARCHIPELAGO, its plug and play online connectivity, distribution and revenue management vertical, together with its 10 core brands that cover all hotel categories.

With a presence in the Dominican Republic already, Archipelago’s ambitious regional expansion plan will add 3,500 rooms to its portfolio across the rest of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and Columbia by the end of 2023.

About Archipelago

Southeast Asia’s largest privately owned hotel management group, operating more than 150 hotels, with a further 200 hotels under development across Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East. A trusted hotel company with a long track record and more than 40,000 rooms operating or under development in over 60 destinations with award winning brands including ASTON, Collection by ASTON, Alana, Huxley, Kamuela, Harper, Quest, Neo, fave, Nordic and Powered by ARCHIPELAGO.

archipelagointernational.com .

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Mastercard And GCS International Strengthen Their Alliance To Build Financial Inclusion In Jamaica

CARIBPR Wire, Kingston, Jamaica, Mon. February 7, 2022: Mastercard and GCS International, a leading regional fintech based in the Dominican Republic, today extended their partnership to develop and deliver digital payments solutions to underserved consumers across the Caribbean. This partnership builds on the collaborative work already underway in the Dominican Republic and expands to include solutions in Jamaica.

The partnership will strengthen the economic growth potential in the Caribbean, providing the underserved population with a simple and secure real-time payment solution. Financial institutions will be provided with a white label mobile wallet solution, including Mastercard prepaid cards for international use, providing end users with innovative and enhanced payment options in line with market trends. The initiative demonstrates how technology can be harnessed to accelerate financial inclusion and give people more control, better banking experiences, and a wider range of payment choices.

During the signing of the agreement, Carlo Enrico, president of Mastercard’s Latin America and Caribbean region, highlighted: “Mastercard is committed to delivering a digital economy that works for all. As the fintech landscape evolves at an unprecedented speed, Mastercard provides the infrastructure and assets to help fintechs grow and attract more people to the digital economy. We look forward to collaborating with the GCS International team through this next stage of growth and provide the solutions that will drive financial inclusion at scale.”

At the same time, Brian Paniagua, CEO of GCS International expressed: “Our company has provided friction-less PFM (personal finance management) tools and solutions to consumers creating value for individuals and their societies in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, and in the near future, Jamaica. This strategic alliance with Mastercard is a natural evolution in the industry goal towards achieving the financial inclusion of more countries in the Caribbean and capitalizes on GCS’ proven track record ability to apply leading technology to the financial industry in benefit of those who need it most. We look forward to expand this alliance in a near future to other countries in Central America as well.”

GCS International is a leading fintech in the Dominican Republic specialized in cutting-edge technology within the payments industry, focused on the development of mobile solutions key to people’s needs such as transfers between accounts, payment of basic services, loan payments, among others.

Mastercard will continue to advance equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world through a broad range of efforts. Last year, the company announced the expansion of its worldwide commitment to financial inclusion by pledging to bring a total of 1 billion people and 50 million micro and small businesses into the digital economy by 2025.

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About Mastercard (NYSE:MA)

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all. www.mastercard.com.

About GCS International

GCS International is a FinTech committed to promoting digital transformation in Latin America and the adoption of new alternative channels, promoting greater access to financial services through innovative digital technologies. They believe in generating a positive social impact that meets high social, environmental and community standards by providing new platforms for inclusion and prosperity.

www.gcs-international.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: ACCESS PHOTO FOR USE WITH THIS ARTICLE HERE

CAPTION: L – r: Brian Paniagua, CEO of GCS International; Carlo Enrico, president of Mastercard for Latin America and the Caribbean; Marcelo Tangioni, Caribbean Division President, Mastercard.

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Scotiabank joins Mastercard in the launch of the Priceless Planet Coalition in the Caribbean

Priceless Planet Coalition global pledge is to plant 100 million trees in five years

CaribPR Wire, Thurs. March 18th, 2021 Scotiabank joins Mastercard on the expansion of the Priceless Planet Coalition to generate climate change awareness and impact across four Caribbean countries: Jamaica, Barbados, The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic. As part of the launch of this initiative, Scotiabank cardholders can contribute to different forestation initiatives through online purchases made with their ScotiaCard.

This global coalition unites the efforts of merchants, banks, cities and consumers to make meaningful investments to preserve the environment through the restoration of 100 million trees over five years, together with forestry experts from Conservation International and World Resources Institute. Other participating members are Transport for London and American Airlines, among others around the world, all of which are investing in innovative ways to inspire collective actions to address climate change. In the Caribbean, a place where climate change further impacts the effects of devastating hurricanes, Scotiabank has pioneered several initiatives to reduce Carbon emissions.

The current pandemic has underscored how interconnected our world has become, and that the health and well-being of our planet is deeply linked to that of our people. Together, Mastercard and Scotiabank are taking action now to combat global warming. Until April 22, current and new Bank cardholders in Jamaica can contribute to planting a tree for every five online purchases of J$4350 or more. The goal is to plant a total of 75,000 trees, based on purchases made in Jamaica, Barbados, The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.

“Scotiabank is guided by our purpose: “for every future”. We recognize that climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and through our Climate Commitments, we are dedicated to supporting actions that address this challenge through our banking operations,” said Anya Schnoor, Executive Vice President of Scotiabank in the Caribbean, Central America and Uruguay. “As a leading Bank in the Americas, collaboration with other organizations is crucial for effective climate action. The Priceless Planet Coalition provides an opportunity for us to work alongside Mastercard to help make an impact and enables our customers in the Caribbean to be part of a very practical and tangible climate solution,” she added.

Climate change affects us all. In the Caribbean, the negative impact of extreme weather conditions on sectors such as agriculture and tourism can be significant. Reforestation has a direct and measurable impact on the environment.

“Mastercard is committed to protect the environment in every continent where it operates, and here in the Caribbean, where the weather is sometimes extremely punishing, suffering from very destructive hurricanes; we truly believe in our efforts on restoring the rainforests and the landscapes is a key element in the fight against climate change” said Marcelo Tangioni, President of The Caribbean Division at Mastercard. Mr. Tangioni also added that “We are very glad to welcome Scotiabank joining the Priceless Planet Coalition, for this constant work against the clock and mostly, to rebuild ecosystems with the help of all the partners of the Coalition.”

The Priceless Planet Coalition aims to reinforce a restoration model that is not only focused on planting trees, but on re-growing forests for a positive climate, community, and biodiversity impact. To learn more about Priceless Planet Coalition, please visit www.PricelessPlanet.org and follow us on social media #pricelessplanet.

To know more about Mastercard Corporate Social Responsibility’s Report and all its social and environmental efforts around the World click here

About Mastercard, www.mastercard.com

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: “for every future”, we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of over 90,000 employees and assets of approximately $1.1 trillion (as at October 31, 2020), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

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