The 2024 Dominican Republic Social Ambassador Fam took place from August 29 through September 2, with 10 rising star travel advisors and two social media content creators journeying around the country to discover new experiences in the Dominican Republic.
The itinerary was packed with unique experiences showcasing the Dominican Republic's appeal as a destination for travelers seeking adventure and relaxation.
The 10 travel advisors in attendance had just experienced the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, which was held at the Hilton La Romana. From there, they ventured across the Dominican Republic, via bus and boat, visiting multiple resorts along the way.
The first host resort was a three-night stay at Cayo Levantado, with the final night ending in Lopesan Costa Bávaro Resort. In between, the attendees were able to tour several properties and have adventures in Los Haitises National Park and Montaña Redonda in Miches.
“We got to experience such a different side of the Dominican Republic, more than just like the typical all-inclusive, and it's given me such a wide variety of things that I would probably be suggesting to my clients now,” said Michelle Vuong, travel advisor with Latitude Concierge Travels.”
The Fam experience is all about showcasing the diverse tourism options available for these travel advisors to sell their clients, as well as for the content creators to further promote the Dominican Republic as a destination for consumers. The group collaborated all week, helping to assist with content ideas, sharing photos and videos, and advisors helping their peers with business questions.
“The Dominican Republic is more than beaches, it’s more than pina coladas – it's experiences,” said Rebeca Del Pino, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Dominican Republic Tourism. “You get to really see the roots of the Dominican culture here. We invite all of you to come to our beautiful country and get a taste of the paradise.”
“I loved that we got to see more of what the Dominican Republic offers – there's more than just Punta Cana,” said Jasmine Horton-Hines, travel advisor with SmartBird World Travel.
“We got to visit several different areas, which are probably my favorite now. Going to Miches and going to visit the beautiful Cayo Levantado resort was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip.”
Cayo Levantado sits on its own island off the coast of Semana. While it’s a journey to get here, the attendees all agreed it was well worth the wait.
Wellness was the focal point of the Fam stay at Cayo Levantado, with offerings including yoga, sound healing, energetic cleansing, chakra meditation, personal trainer work outs, and some advisors even booked spa appointments during their stay to enhance the wellness experience.
“I've never been a wellness person or a wellness resort person, so being able to kind of experience it firsthand was truly inspiring and it opened my mind to like all of these different types of healing paths that I wasn't aware of,” Vuong said. “I'm definitely gonna be taking some of the lessons home with me."
“I love being able to fully immerse myself into the experience, from breathwork to sound healing as well as a very intense yoga class, all of the wellness aspects of the resort are what makes it just even more special,” Horton-Hines said. “You really feel like you're in quiet luxury, just being on this secluded part of the island and you feel like you have it all to yourself.”
Wellness also goes beyond things like spa treatments and exercising. What we eat is a major part of how we feel.
Prior to our wellness breakfast one morning, Cayo Levantado brought out a nutritionist to discuss the role food plays in our wellness stay, and how the resort caters the menu to guests depending on which path they choose when staying at the resort: Refresh, Restore, Relax, and Renew.
“They have so many different options here,” said Melanie Rodriguez, luxury travel concierge with Life Is Better Traveling. “I have food allergies, so I felt very safe while we've been here. I never get this many food options at a restaurant, it's very special.”
Prior to arriving to Cayo Levantado, the group first toured a portion of Casa de Campo. The 7,000-acre resort complex was a host resort for the 2023 DR Fam experience.
After the stay at Cayo Levantado, the group toured Club Med Miches Playa Esmeralda, Margarita Eco Village, and had meeting with reps from Zemi Miches, which is still under construction and scheduled to open in early 2025.
Closing out the trip was the site inspection at the final host hotel Lopesan Costa Bávaro Resort, highlighted by the unique Boulevard space on property that features a casino, a sports bar, an English Pub, a nightclub, a bowling alley, and much more.
“Being on site with these properties and making these relationships with our vendors, our hotel managers, are so vital to our business,” Rodriguez said. “We need to know the personality of the hotels we visit; we need to know what the country has to offer, and this trip has been truly amazing.”
Touring villas and unique accommodations was another focal point of the Fam experience, with each resort showcasing stunning rooms that can fit a variety of travelers.
“The villas are absolutely beautiful,” Horton-Hines said. “They're large enough to fit any space for any amount of people, whether it's a family trip or a multi generation trip. Going to visit these villas basically showed me how much these other parts of the DR has to offer, especially for all of these different types of families."
Special thanks to transportation and DMC companies Mi Tierra Verde, Dominicana DMC and Sunset Caribbean DMC for safely guiding the group all across the Dominican Republic.
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Editor Eric Bowman Executive Editor true ebowman@travelpulse.com @EricBowman_ 9039 14744 Eric Bowman is the Executive Editor of TravelPulse. A graduate of The University of Georgia, Eric has been working in online media, radio and TV for over a decade. He currently live
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