As part of the Zero Bureaucracy strategy of the Dominican Government, President Luis Abinader and the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, led the official launch of the Central Unit of Tourism Procedures (UCTT), which is part of the comprehensive strategy of transparency, efficiency, digitization and streamlining of responses of the institution.
The Central Unit of Tourism Procedures is a digital platform that connects the State institutions involved in the approval processes of projects and licenses in the sector, reducing time, minimizing procedures, and providing the user with a supervisory control over all its processes.
The user will be able to manage their different projects and requirements under a single profile, verify each stage of these, and have constant feedback and communication with the areas of the ministry.
Likewise, they will be able to send all their documents digitally, receive answers and digital service, and without having to leave their offices, they will know everything about the status of their procedures at the Ministry of Tourism.
President Luis Abinader congratulated this initiative highlighting the importance of the Zero Bureaucracy strategy. “Undoubtedly, today we begin to see the first firm steps of this strategy, a clear proof of the results that can be achieved if we work together with the same purpose,” said the president.
The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, emphasized that this project is part of a process of transformation and support to the entire sector, to the allies who every day make their bet on our destination and work in favor of the development of Tourism.
“An efficient administration is one that puts the citizen and the investor at the center. Transparency is turning on the light, and only those who work to improve the institutions can proudly show their work. Working hand in hand is not about sitting in the same place, it is about all of us being part of it and being able to influence the result, and that is what we are doing today,” said Collado.
This project has been 18 months in planning and design. Since 2020, the Ministry of Tourism began a process of digitalization and automation of its internal processes for the user, which covered all the procedures and permits that this institution granted to the value chain to ensure quality in the supply of tourism services.
The Central Unit of Tourism Procedures covers all the processes of investment approvals, as well as the processes of applications for operating licenses. This platform is the natural evolution of the Strategy initiated in March 2021 with the launch of the One Mitur portal, the portal that brings together the services of the Ministry of Tourism and was the first step in the digitization of processes and a cultural transformation towards what would evolve into a more comprehensive platform, the UCTT.
Before the arrival of the current administration, all the procedures and processes of the Ministry of Tourism were completely manual, requiring the user to visit the government institution, high use of paper, and little follow-up capacity.
MITUR’s Director of Planning and Projects (DPP), Shanney Peña, informed that from now on it will no longer be necessary to print plans, a digital signature and a unique QR code for approved plans will be included, which saves time, streamlines all processes and doubles the team’s productivity.
Brenda Morales, director of the Technical Unit of the Tourism Development Council (CONFOTUR), emphasized the importance of the interconnection of institutions such as the Treasury and the Ministry of Environment, giving a qualitative leap in the user experience.
The issuance of digital certifications, as well as making payments on the same platform, will save time and resources for investors, managers and the entire value chain. One more step in favor of the country’s competitiveness.
