During a luncheon of the Association of Puerto Plata Hotels, tourism entrepreneur Frank Rainieri said that the Dominican politicians do not understand the importance of tourism in this country, despite that sector generating 25% of the GDP and being the most dynamic sector of the economy in the past 30 years. Rainieri is president of the Punta Cana Group, the pioneer of the development of the today very successful east coast area. Rainieri urged that the Puerto Plata tourism community put the onus on itself to solve the problems within the sector, rather than depending on the authorities, as a way of reducing the excessive reliance on public investment that first gave the area its start. Rainieri explained that the hotel sector in the East had contributed RD$10 million to improve roads in Punta Cana in the East Coast and commented on the road to the Puerto Plata airport, that is also in need or urgent repaving. Rainieri pointed out that the Tourism Ministry does not has not had funds for advertising for the past six months. By contrast, in the East, he said the private sector has built 16 aqueducts, 40 of the 82 kilometers of highway, 14 water treatment plants, 2 private power companies and a private airport, in addition to donating RD$7.5 million to purchase a radar for that area’s airport. Rainieri expressed his confidence in the recovery of the nation based on what he referred to as the two pillars of the economy – tourism and the free zones – which depend more on the international market than on the domestic economic climate. He said there exists a business class that knows how to adapt quickly to the changes and new circumstances.
Commenting on the discourse, Hoy newspaper editor Bienvenido Alvarez Vega, says: “If our politicians have been incapable of understanding the worth and importance of caring for such an important economic activity, then the conclusion is simple: We need another kind of politician.”