Back in 1608, explorer Samuel de Champlain saw potential of natural citadel here and founded a fur trading post. With fortifications of Upper Town of Québec City became area where government and religious institutions set up. Meanwhile, merchants and craftsmen settled in Lower Town along St. Lawrence River. Québec City was fought over by English and French many times during wars in 17th and 18th centuries. The English finally took city over in 1759 resulting with New France becoming a British colony. Québec City is still considered as cradle of French civilization in North America. The old quarter of city was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1985 and is only fortified city in North America.

As two Dominican sisters currently living away from our much loved homeland we started developing our traveler information resource www.visiting-the-dominican-republic.com in last quarter of 2004 for a number of reasons.

First and perhaps foremost it helps to keep us in touch with Dominican Republic, as we offer a comprehensive ‘contact us with your questions about DR’ service. We endeavor to answer anything we can about our country, and will research those things we don’t have an instant answer to. Another motivating reason for starting www.visiting-the-dominican-republic.com related to fact that we found so many so-called information sites either deficient in any really useful information, or else merely excuses to field a host of adverts and links (often dead, dubious or irrelevant ones at that).

Our aim was to ‘do a Carlsberg’ (maybe that’s just a reference for UK TV addicts!) and provide what is ‘probably best’ no-cost information resource for anyone visiting Dominican Republic for a vacation, on business or to seek that ideal property for investment or even retirement. If you haven’t considered Dominican Republic for any of these reasons yet…then we have written this short article to suggest why you should! Indeed DR has often been described as Caribbean’s ‘best kept secret’, and even today, even though tourism figures have increased over recent times, this amazing and diverse ‘jewel’ of a country still represents one of least ‘discovered’ regions compared with other often over-priced and over-exploited Caribbean hot-spots! (We recently published another article ‘The Dominican Republic – Almost a Tropical Paradise’, that highlights just a few of things that DR offers lucky visitor - see GoArticles.)

We naturally have mixed feelings about ‘betraying’ secrets of our much loved birthplace, but in today’s world of commercial realities we also recognize that economic benefit that tourism can bring to our country is more than just necessary for a land that has suffered more than its fair share of exploitative political regimes and economic crises (since as far back as time of Columbus’ first footfall on that fateful day back in 1492!)

As DR emerges into this new millennium it seems at last that a forward thinking Government is at Dominican Republic’s helm. Investing heavily in numerous essential aspects of country’s infra-structure, and promoting many marvellous attractions country has to offer to a wider world audience, are just two of things that President Fernandez and his team have already embarked upon.