During the opening ceremony of the National Hotel & Restaurant Association Trade Show at the Dominican Fiesta Hotel yesterday, President Leonel Fernandez announced the formation of a tourism cabinet to design and support a sustainable competitive strategy and his plan to consolidate the achievements of the sector. The tourism cabinet will be made up by the ministers of Public Works, Tourism and Environment, as well as the director of the National Potable Water and Sewage Institute (INAPA). Fernandez said that the tourism sector cannot act independently, given its importance to the economy, and he encouraged the sector’s increased diversification to conquer new markets. Fernandez called tourism the potential flagship of the Dominican economy. For this to happen, according to the President, the tourism industry needs more promotion and support from the state. “This means that the Ministry of Tourism will have the support of the central government for promotion, advertising and to conquer new markets,” he said.
Fernandez highlighted that the country does not have a structural financial crisis, because the nation’s main hard-currency producing sectors ? tourism, export manufacturing zones and remittances from abroad ? are not in crisis. He explained that the economic problems of Dominicans have to do with public finances, with the collapse of three banking institutions and the quasi-fiscal deficit that the government is now confronting. He said the resolution of the quasi-fiscal deficit will bring back the stability of the 1990, restore confidence and stimulate the creation of new jobs and wealth for the country, as reported in Hoy newspaper.