The arrival of the first cruise ship at the port of Cabo Rojo marked the rebound of tourism development in Pedernales, a destination where the arrival of one million cruise passengers per year is predicted as of 2026.
This was announced by President Luis Abinader during the inauguration of the first phase of the port terminal where the first cruise ship docked yesterday, an act that generated a great dynamism in that province.
The cruise ship Norwegian Pearl, of the Norwegian Cruise Line, opened the new terminal early yesterday with more than 2,500 cruise passengers on board.
The President emphasized that the start of operations at Cabo Rojo is already a reality, marking the beginning of the change in the entire southern region.
“With this plan, we project in the long term one million cruise passengers by 2026, with an economic impact in the area of millions of dollars, 3,000 direct jobs and more than 10,000 indirect jobs,” he said.
He stressed that in the next 5 years Pedernales will have changed for good and forever, in 10 years it will be unrecognizable and in 20, it will be a study model of economic and social development.
He also said he was convinced that this new port will become a world-class tourist destination, with magnificent facilities, quality service and the opportunity to create an environment of diversity and cultural enrichment.
Airport
He announced that the construction of the Cabo Rojo airport will begin next March, while the first hotel in the area will be ready for the last quarter of the year, promising that it will be there by the end of the year.
For his part, the director of the Dominican Port Authority, Jean Luis Rodríguez, emphasized that in only three years, the country went from having only one terminal capable of receiving oasis class ships, the largest in the world, to having four terminals with this capacity.
With 400 meters of dock, Cabo Rojo port has the capacity to receive two oasis cruise ships and has spaces for rest, shopping, restaurants and bars. In the next stages, a theme fair, water park and more will be developed.
It is a sustainable port, free of single-use plastics, that promotes the protection of its protected areas and natural parks.
The Pedernales Tourism Development Project is conceived in four phases, over an average period of 10 years, and an estimated investment of US$2.245 million.
Visitor arrivals continue to increase
Tourism. The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, assured that the arrival of the first cruise ship in Pedernales marked a historic day for Dominican tourism, which has proven to be the main industry of the country.
In this sense, he reiterated that 2023 surpassed for the first time the 10 million visitors and detailed that the arrival of visitors via cruise ships practically doubled in that same year, with a total of 2.2 million, while in 2022 1.3 million were received.
The Pedernales Tourism Development Project, under the public-private alliance scheme, offers a new perspective of prosperity for the community forgotten by the different governments.
Source: Mitur.com
