Agreed but perhaps with 'Warning not suitable for motorcycle tours in the summer'. But ideal for Casa Bonita and Rancho Platon and lesser establishment customers (but they are always full even in low season as was the case when I visited two weeks ago when the weather was 100 times more pleasant than Santo Domingo).
Far more than just motorcycling (which is very cool, no matter the weather, when you're moving.) We also take many people in our 15-passenger van, and spend a LOT of time doing non-motorcycle things.
Casa Bonita is nice as are a couple other boutique establishments. But even Casa Bonita is a tiny establishment.
Broad tourism needs many thousands for tourism-designated areas to survive. And while the SW is "unique", as much as I wish otherwise there just isn't much to do there beyond some sightseeing and a nice drive to see the Caribbean Sea. The beaches are non-spectacular. Sorry, but rock beaches don't attract tourists; BdLA is awesome, but difficult to access. Lago Enriquillo is unique, but there isn't much there anymore since the floods have destroyed the coastline and National Parks. La Descubierta---one of our stops---has a nice oasis of sorts, but nothing else. There are the iguanas and Las Caritas, cute stops. Some grapes in Neiba. Sugar production. Windmills in Los Cocos, the lagoon close by. Pedernales is pretty much nothing, some larimar mines, unique topography...but nothing down there of real draw for the typical tourist.
My fear would be folks would go there once, see a lot of dry scrub and beastly hot weather and just not return. Even tourism needs return customers.
Yeah, it's great for the adventurous eco-tourists, no doubt, but those make up only a tiny sliver of the tourist universe.
I like the southwest. It's very different from what the "average" tourist expects from a Caribbean island: not tropical, arid and very dirt-poor people. The riding is interesting, especially getting off the main road and going to Bahia de Las Aguilas. Get off the pavement at the airport and ride 5 miles on washboard hardpacked gravel, fun stuff on a bike.
In 8 years, I have found that riders who come down for the SouthWest tour come back to the DR only 10% for a second tour, but those who do the North Coast tour first come back for the SW tour 75% of the time. That stat should speak volumes.
The airport would need significant upgrades to work, like 5000' more of runway. Cabo Rojo Airport only has 4950' of runway and no precision approaches.