According to the economic section of El Caribe, there are some differing opinions about the proposed Coral Highway. While some hotel owners were sending notes to the National Congress supporting the proposed US$255-million bond issuance for its construction, the president of the National Hotel and Restaurant Association (Asonahores), Johnny Bernal, was going public with a note he sent to Congress wherein he expressed his opposition to the funding of the project. In the letter addressed to Senator C?sar D?az Filpo, the president of the Senate Finance Committee, Bernal says that he agrees with the position of the CONEP in that ?now is not the time for a new emission of sovereign bonds.? The missive goes on to say that the Asonahores group ?supports the development of infrastructure in the touristic areas, but in the specific case of the Coral Highway, we must look for alternative sources to finance the project.?
Nevertheless, the executives of the projects at B?varo, Punta Cana, Dominicus, Macao, Cortecito, Bayahibe, and Uvero Alto all want the project to proceed, regardless of the method of financing. Their representatives told Congress that the 63 kilometers of highway represent an important step for that region of the DR ? one that holds 60% of available hotel space. Finally, they pointed out that the three airports of Las Americas, La Romana and Punta Cana receive 75% of all visitors to the island, and the Coral Highway would be the last link in the 172 kilometers of highway that connect Santo Domingo and the most eastern resorts.