The Minister of the Presidency, Lisandro Macarrulla, and the executive director of the General Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships (DGAPP), Sigmund Freund, have been spending two days in the province of Pedernales, in order to supervise the progress of the “Tourism Development Project of Pedernales-Cabo Rojo”, which the Government is executing in this area of the country.
The agenda began with the participation of both officials in the special radio program “Pedernales 64 years later”, of the journalist Carlos Julio Feliz, as part of the tour for the anniversary of the province.
Minister Macarrulla highlighted the importance of this project for President Luis Abinader, proclaiming that it is time to put an end to the poverty that for so many years has characterized this province and the entire southern region.
He added that it is a priority of the Government to develop a project that can generate wealth and, at the same time, protect the most important assets that this province has: the natural resources and its people.
“Nothing will be done here without all the studies required to guarantee the sustainability of this destination, which already promises to be a regional reference,” he emphasized.
In his speech, the director of the DGAPP, Sigmund Freund, explained in detail the Master Plan of the project, pointing out that this will be the most planned destination that the Dominican Republic will ever have and a model of public-private partnership unique in the Caribbean at the tourism level.
“The Cabo Rojo-Pedernales destination is called to change the economic and social face of this southern region, creating real employment and business opportunities, generating benefits for local producers. We estimate that more than 20,000 direct jobs will be created in the next 10 years and more than 50,000 indirect jobs,” Freund said.
Freund indicated that the tourist development of Pedernales is no longer a promise as in past administrations, since progress can be seen in the construction of the internal roads of the project, the Enriquillo-Pedernales highway, and in the commitment of more than six internationally renowned hotel chains that will begin construction of the first rooms in the middle of this year.
He also highlighted the visit and recent commitment of the president of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), Dante Mossi, to manage the international financing required for the project.
“Today is a historic day for Pedernales”, said Freund, noting that the presence of the Minister of the Presidency, authorities from other public and local institutions is a sign of the commitment to promote the economic development of the province through a responsible tourism project in a public-private partnership.
At the end of the special radio program, Minister Macarrulla and Freund participated in the launching of the project “Promotion of Public-Private Alliance for the strengthening of the chain of Sustainable Tourism in Pedernales” financed by the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID).
This project, led by the Vice-Ministry of Cooperation of the Ministry of Tourism, seeks to promote the sustainable development of Pedernales through tourism, taking advantage of the local, natural and cultural heritage of the region.
In this activity, in addition to the Minister of the Presidency and the director of the DGAPP, were present the Deputy Minister of Economy, Planning and Development, Pavel Isa; the Deputy Minister of Cooperation of the Ministry of Tourism, Carlos Peguero; the Ambassador of Spain in the country, Antonio Pérez-Hernández; the mayor of the municipality, Andrés Emilio Jiménez Sánchez, among other personalities.
Later, Minister Macarrulla and the director of the DGAPP went to the Provincial Governor’s Office, where the Presidential Commission for the Tourist Development of Pedernales presented the “Guidelines for the Social and Economic Development Plan for the Province of Pedernales and Enriquillo”.
At the end of the afternoon, both officials held a meeting with the Pedernales branch of the Dominican Association of Tourism Journalists (Adompretur) and then visited Tres Charcos, where the Pedernales International Airport will be built.
About the project
The Pedernales-Cabo Rojo Tourism Development Project is conceived to be carried out in four phases, over an average period of 10 years and an estimated investment of US$2,245 million.
The first phase calls for an investment of US$1.3 billion for the construction of 4,700 rooms (which will become 12,000 rooms at the end of the project).
Eight hotels will begin operations during the opening of this first phase, for which the hotel chains Hilton, Marriot, Sunwing, AmResorts, Iberostar Group and Karisma Hotels & Resort have already signed a letter of commitment to begin construction of their hotels from the middle of 2022.
This first phase will also include the construction of an international airport in Pedernales, a shopping mall and the completion of the necessary basic infrastructure works, such as the construction of an aqueduct, a water treatment plant and an electrical transmission system.
