Real Estate in the Dominican Republic by Dominican Island Property
20% of Tourists to the Dominican Republic are Canadians
The Minister of Tourisim, Dominican Republic, Senor Garcia, revealed that more that 750,000 Canadian tourists visit the Dominican Republic in the last 5 years which makes up 20% of all tourism there.
The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms. Ablonczy, with Senor Garcia wished to propose a strategy to develope this interest between the two countries.
Dominican Republic has excellent conditions creating a favorable destination for tourist and investors.
The Dominican Republic ranked 4th as a Canadian vacation place and 3rd as place for sun.
Not only are Canadians visiting this island paradise but Europeans and Americans also enjoy what the Dominican Republic has to offer.
ISABELA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Isabela, Dominican republic, the first permanent European settlement in the new world, was founded in 1494 by Christopher Columbus.
No one knows for sure where Columbus first landed in the new world on Oct. 12, 1492, but what is known is that he made landfall in late Oct. in what is now Haiti and named the island Hispanola. It was there, on Christmas eve, as he made his way east that his flag ship, the Santa Maria, capsized on a reef. Naming the area La Navidad, he had constructed a small fort and leaving 39 well-provisioned men he returned to Spain with the news of his discovery.
He returned one year later with l2 ships, 1500 men, pigs, chickens, goats, cows, and horses. Arriving at La Navidad he discovered that the fort was burned to the ground and the men dead or missing.Again turning east, as he had been advised that the gold he sought lay in that direction, he entered Isabela harbor on Jan.2, l494. It was there that the first settlement begun. On the site that was soon to be the first church in the new world, the Spanish (Roman Catholic) offered the first mass on Jan. 5, 1494, Epiphany, Three Kings Day. Three Kings Day is still celebrated in the Dominican republic and is the traditional day of gift giving here.
Problems haunted Isabella; disease, hunger, mutiny, the weather and the native population ill suited to work the Spanish required.
The Taino's, the native people were Hunter/Gathers and lived mainly on the bounty of the sea. They were forced to work in the gold fields discovered in the southern part of the island, as well as growing and preparing food for the Spanish. The Taino were to be almost extinct within 40 years.
Isabela harbor, open to the north, was struck by back to back hurricanes in 1495 sinking as many as 8 vessels achored in the harbor.
Isabel itself was to exist for only 4 years and was abandoned in favor of "New Isabella" or Santo Domingo on the south coast. Santo Domingo, now the capital of the Dominican Republic, was closer to the gold fields that were discovered in the south central part of the island.
Isabela is now one of the national parks in the country. The area has been conserved, boasts a museum and hosts thousands of visitors every year.
The University of Indiana, USA, conducts yearly efforts of excavations in the park and the waters of the harbor. Their efforts continually add to the knowledge of the history of beautiful Isabela.