As many of you may have read (or heard) the old Barcelo Bahoruco Beach Resort was "acquired" by Contructora Castillo & Asocs. belonging to the Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo. They are rapidly renovating the old and abanonded hotel, and it is scheduled to re-open to the public in August of 2014 (or so I hear), I also hear from the locals that Felix Bautista is one of the investors and it seems they are doing this in an effort to jump start the tourism in the south west.
To help achieve this the ministry of PW (Obras P?blicas) is also revamping the highway to Barahona, which will reduce the travel time to Barahona from 3 hours to 1 1/2 hours, bypassing the cities of Bani and Azua and making it 4 lanes when it was only 2 lanes when you approach the mountains between Azua and Barahona.
The locals towns of Bahoruco and Cienaga surrounding the hotel will also get a face wash and rumors are running wild that the government will declare "public utility" the coast strip between Barahona and Cienaga and people who live on the beach will be bought out to build a boulevard along the coast, they say those people from the beach will be relocated to a new "barrio" which will be built for them, wishful thinking? maybe, but it's not a bad idea.
One thing I can say for sure, Danilo who is from San Juan, and Gonzalo Castillo, who is from Barahona, are certainly working diligently to make sure the "deep south" or sur profundo doesn't seem that remote any more and that if there's any chance to make it the 4th tourist pole in DR, it will be now or never.
PS: I met with Gonzalo Castillo, minister of PW to discuss the possibility of declaring the coast of Bahoruco "utilidad p?blica" and he promised me that that won't happen, they are planning to "clean out" the beach since the people who live there (majority) still have old huts and outhouses (letrinas) and you cannot have tourists walking the beach and seeing all that dirt and garbage.
Any thoughts or input anyone?
To help achieve this the ministry of PW (Obras P?blicas) is also revamping the highway to Barahona, which will reduce the travel time to Barahona from 3 hours to 1 1/2 hours, bypassing the cities of Bani and Azua and making it 4 lanes when it was only 2 lanes when you approach the mountains between Azua and Barahona.
The locals towns of Bahoruco and Cienaga surrounding the hotel will also get a face wash and rumors are running wild that the government will declare "public utility" the coast strip between Barahona and Cienaga and people who live on the beach will be bought out to build a boulevard along the coast, they say those people from the beach will be relocated to a new "barrio" which will be built for them, wishful thinking? maybe, but it's not a bad idea.
One thing I can say for sure, Danilo who is from San Juan, and Gonzalo Castillo, who is from Barahona, are certainly working diligently to make sure the "deep south" or sur profundo doesn't seem that remote any more and that if there's any chance to make it the 4th tourist pole in DR, it will be now or never.
PS: I met with Gonzalo Castillo, minister of PW to discuss the possibility of declaring the coast of Bahoruco "utilidad p?blica" and he promised me that that won't happen, they are planning to "clean out" the beach since the people who live there (majority) still have old huts and outhouses (letrinas) and you cannot have tourists walking the beach and seeing all that dirt and garbage.
Any thoughts or input anyone?