Sitting here in the Dominican Republic, I am taking a minute to think of all of the things I need to do and catch up on. I owe you all updates from my recent trip to Frankfurt (IMEX 2009) and to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico (Meeting Place Mexico), these posts will hopefully come this week as I return for a long spell with no travel.

Today, I am in the Dominican Republic for the Annual SITE Chicago Retreat, an educational event for SITE members to learn about the destination of Punto Cana on the eastern side of the Dominican Republic.  A mere four hour flight from Chicago.

What I have learned is what American tourists have known for a long time; the Dominican Republic is an amazing place. Safe, Secure, Beautiful and the perfect place for groups, both meetings and incentives.

My question is, where are the American groups? You need to be here. There are plenty of flights and it is very cost effective. In fact, even Jet Blue has flights from New York, so lift cannot be the excuse…..or maybe it is a question that does not need an excuse because it has a simple answer.

The answer is that we as meeting planners had no idea that the Dominican Republic was a great place for groups so we have overlooked it for years. This is not our fault though, the Dominican Tourism folks have been doing a great job of marketing to the tourists, and they are just now getting a chance to catch their breath before they tackle the MICE market. This is not their fault either; they work really hard and are amazing people. They are the go-to people when you want to learn more. I hope my ramblings actually help them in their endeavors to catch the attention of the meetings and incentive market.

The Dominican Republic has an amazing array of 5 star hotel properties to choose from with great DMC’s to handle all of your group transfer and activity needs. From Paradisus Playa Real and Sanctuary Cap Cana to the Amazing Tortuga Bay and Moon Palace, the properties here are simply amazing. Beautiful, elegant (oops, bad word in the meetings industry) with all of the trimmings.

Group events in Punta Cana and country wide are a cinch; there is so much to do when your groups are not in session or on an incentive travel trip. Catamarans, Zip Lining, tours of the area and even cigar rolling demonstrations are just some of the activities that are available. I am only hitting a couple that I was able to observe, I am not even mentioning the 5000 other things to do (rafting, snorkeling, parasailing, museums, history, jeep excursions, eco-tours, etc). Then there are the properties themselves, beautiful beaches, pools and restaurants. Even a casino or two for good measure.  Groups have a home here.

The biggest selling point however are the Dominicans themselves. They have a sense of self and a pride that shows in their work. Rarely do you find service levels this high. I am not kidding, they know how to treat a group and go the extra mile to ensure that your stay is perfect.

I can sum up the service in the Dominican Republic by simply re-stating what the bellman said to one of our group when we checked in, he said “I work for you”……..an amazing and rare statement from someone in the hospitality industry. These are a people that “get it”. They are here to make sure that your group’s every need is taken care of.

There are, of course, drawbacks (not many though). It is HOT during the day; in fact, it is surface of the sun hot (you can see me sweat in the picture in my next post). We all take groups to Las Vegas and Scottsdale though, same kind of hot so maybe this is not really a drawback…….

So, in short, if you are looking to bring a group international and have not yet chosen the destination, have a look at the Dominican Republic. You (and your attendees) will not be disappointed. Your budget will also be surprised by how affordable it is………and, during the summer, they are on Eastern Time so attendees won’t have a case of foggy brain caused by massive time shifts.

More to come on the Dominican Republic and the SITE Retreat…….this is by no means the end of the story!

Just thought!

Keith