President Luis Abinader informed the National Assembly that 19 tourism projects are currently underway with an estimated investment of USD 2,936 million, initiatives that are accompanied by state support, with an investment of RD 8,640 million. The new hotel investment projects will total 9,135 rooms.
Public investment strategy
All this has been accompanied, he said, “by a public investment strategy in the main tourist areas, in the new poles and throughout the country”.
“We have intervened” -he said- “89 projects in 18 provinces with a value of 8.4 billion and we currently have 4.64 billion in execution, for a total of 39 projects in 11 provinces, the main ones being Samaná, Puerto Plata and La Altagracia”.
He stated that “if we are talking about a leading and dynamic industry, we have to stop at tourism”, while referring that in 2023 we will exceed 10 million visitors and in 2021 the WTO “recognized us as the number 1 country in tourism recovery in the world”.
He cited that last January, the WTO published that “it will be in 2024 when international tourism will reach pre-pandemic levels, two years later than us. According to the same organization in its latest report, we lead along with Saudi Arabia and Albania in the growth of post-pandemic tourism in 2023.”
Some examples of public investment, he said, are the reconstruction of the fishermen’s square, the access road to Astillero beach, the access to Cosón beach and the Malecón in Samaná, or the first stage of the recovery of Sosúa beach in Puerto Plata and several seawalls such as Cabrera and Santo Domingo East.
He also referred to the reconstruction of the underwater park La Caleta, as well as the construction of the access to Salto de Aguas Blancas in Constanza and the surroundings of the Boca de Cachón beach in the province of Independencia.
Miches Project
“From all points, from north to south, and from east to west, the Dominican Republic has its own characteristics capable of generating new wealth for the country,” he said.
“This is how we have acted in Miches,” explained President Abinader, “where there is undoubtedly one of our most impressive natural beauties. An immense potential for development that is now beginning to be exploited with a great impact for the progress of that region.”
He reported that the government is committed to building infrastructure such as roads, aqueducts and hospitals, some already completed or in the process of construction, and businessmen, the development of hotels.
He reported that the private sector currently has four hotels under construction, equivalent to 2,500 rooms. This means 3,000 direct jobs for Miches and 9,000 indirect jobs.
Punta Bergantin
In addition to the increase in cruise ship tourism, President Abinader told Congress, construction of the Punta Bergantín tourism project has already begun in the north, which will give Puerto Plata a new impulse to reverse the setback in the hotel sector that this province has experienced during the last 20 years.
Source: Presidencia.gob.do
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