SANTO DOMINGO P A Y ING T HE P RIC E
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transport. Shangri-La is the first choice for a conference hotel in Shenzhen – we have more than 8,000 sqm of conference space and are near the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Centre. Recently we hosted the XIX International Botanical Congress, which saw more than 6,000 guests from 100 countries.” The MICE business is thriving so
much that a brand-new convention centre – touted to be the largest in the world – is currently being built in north of Shenzhen International Airport in Bao’an District. The Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Centre mega facility is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018, with 500,000 sqm of exhibition space comprising 19 exhibition halls, plus meeting venues on either side. But the Shenzhen World development
is just one part of a commercial and residential area planned for Bao’an, as Shenzhen develops even further into its western districts. According to Mao Daben, executive deputy general manager for China Merchants Real Estate’s exhibition operations centre: “The venue is in talks with IHG, Marriott, Hyatt and Accor to bring 4,000 hotel rooms in four- and five-star properties to the area.” The development will be served by
two metro stations, a new highway and a fourth terminal at the nearby airport, as part of continuing upgrades to transport infrastructure in order to keep up with demand. Commuters have been enjoying the added convenience provided by the ongoing expansion of Shenzhen’s metro line, which now boasts eight lines with three more under construction. Another major boost to the city will come
next year, with the completion of the new Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High Speed Railway that will whisk commuters from Futian to Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Station in just 15 minutes. With efficient transport, cutting-edge
technology, conference venues and modern five-star accommodation, Shenzhen has come on leaps and bounds in the past four decades – and there’s no sign of it slowing down any time soon.
bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om
...BACK TO LIFE Phase two of Santo Domingo’s restoration is even more ambitious. Te aim is to re- energise the old city, as well as continuing to improve the infrastructure. Maribel Villalona is the head architect
overseeing the project. “Conservation in our times means a living city,” she says. “Success in phase two will be to double the number of people living in the colonial zone and bring it back to life. Also, to persuade every visitor to explore the colonial zone.” Tere will be a further
US$90 million to spend, via another loan from the International American Development Bank, currently being passed by the national government. Tey expect it to lead to the creation of 500 new businesses, which will include non- tourism related enterprises as well as restaurants, bars, various accommodations and galleries. Spanish architect Rafael
marooned, set in large open spaces, with little of the street life that makes the rest of this country so lively. In contrast, the new Marine
Heritage Museum feels quite modern. Set in the Atarazana, the old Royal Customs House, through which all goods imported to the Caribbean were supposed to pass
for two centuries, it displays Dominican
marine archaeological heritage through interactive exhibits of shipwrecks from across the centuries with life-size mock-ups of ships, audio-visual displays and excavated cannon, pipes, combs and coins.
The Casas del XVI are cool and calm spaces, but with butler service and a concierge
SECRET CITY Latin cities can tantalise – as you walk around you snatch glimpses through windows and open doors; a run of Romanesque arches here, paintings on a wall, perhaps a family at supper there. But you can experience the inside of these homes through Casas del XVI, a collection of houses that can be rented. Each Casa has an
interior courtyard and is restored with period and reproduction furniture, even ecclesiastical pieces, to give a sense of traditional
Santo Domingo. Te walls of Casa de las Mapas are lined with colonial maps, and the new Casa del Disenador – the house that once belonged to
fashion designer Oscar de la Renta – references Dominican designers. Te
Moneo has won the design competition for phase two. Many of the same improvements will be carried through the rest of the old city, but his plan also re-opens the city walls to walkers, restores more museums and landmarks, and 120 facades. Te scheme will also concentrate on community, reworking neglected public spaces and improving 200 homes. Concepts of restoration have moved
on. Nowadays, the monumental buildings that were renovated in the 1980s feel a bit
Casas del XVI are cool and calm spaces, but with butler service and a concierge to make sure you get the best of the city. And similarly, restaurants and bars
are opening up in fantastic settings. You can listen to merengue and jazz under a colonnade in a baroque courtyard, or drink in a brick-paved warehouse that was once frequented by conquistadors (and pirates). Back to Rosadela Serulles of the Billini
for a final word: “We have something that no-one else has – the oldest city in the New World. We’re authentic.” BT
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