The Minister of the Presidency, Lisandro Macarrulla, during his speech at the conference “La Dolce Vita in the DR: Development of the nautical industry and its infrastructure”, organized by the Dominican-Italian Chamber of Commerce (CCDI).
The Minister of the Presidency, Lisandro Macarrulla, highlighted the importance of creating the conditions for nautical tourism in the Dominican Republic to flourish to its full potential.
“We must try in some way, that the experience of having a boat in this country is pleasant, and that is not achieved if there is no skilled labor, properly maintained marina and the necessary security. There are many things we have to create,” he said.
The minister expressed himself in these terms during his attendance to the conference “La Dolce Vita in the DR: Development of the nautical industry and its infrastructures”, in which experts spoke about the conditions that the country has to develop this branch of tourism.
Of the 7,000 boats per year that sail along the north coast, only 800 can stop at one of the seven mooring points that meet the physical characteristics for pleasure craft. In total, the country has 2,300 mooring points.
Each pleasure yacht that stops in Dominican territory leaves approximately US$8,000 per month in running costs, plus maintenance, insurance and employees, the experts explained during the activity.
In that sense, Macarrulla specified that, if the country wants to obtain the dividends that the nautical tourism offers and to create new places of employment in that area, these conditions must be created.
“The great challenge now is to create the offer. The lack of supply of docks is becoming an obstacle, including for the real estate industry,” he said.
Minister Macarrulla affirmed that from the Government is in every disposition to develop this type of business in the country.
The activity was carried out by the Dominican-Italian Chamber of Commerce (CCDI), with the support of the Italian Embassy in the Dominican Republic. In addition to the Minister, the Vice-Minister of Quality of Tourism Services of the Ministry of Tourism, Roberto Henríquez, the Mayor of the National District, Carolina Mejía, as well as entrepreneurs of the Tourism sector were also present.
