Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez complained that there are sectors that “are against everything”. He was referring to the opposition by the National Hotel & Restaurant Association to the government imposing a US$5 surcharge on all airfares to the DR sold abroad as of 1 August. Jimenez alleges that the tax would bring in US$20 million a year that would be used for necessary infrastructure works, until the government can undertake these. He argues that at present, the government has to spend 32% of all its revenues to repay foreign debt. Jimenez commented that Asonahores also opposes the derogating of the tourism incentives law, which he said represented RD$1.3 billion in revenues for the sector.
Jimenez again commented on what he called is a strange coincidence between the opposition of environmentalists to the hotel development of the Bahia de las Aguilas biosphere reserve area and the interests of drug smugglers who prefer the southwest to remain sparsely populated.
Luis Carvajal, of the Coalition for the Defense of Protected Areas, told Hoy newspaper that attempting to undermine the defenders of the protected areas is the only way the government officer has found to defend the flagrant violation to Law 64-00 and 2-02 of Protected Areas.
On Friday, as reported in Hoy newspaper, Jimenez accused the Coalition of having suspicious interests, implying connections to the drug trade, for opposing possible investment in the southwestern beach area of Bahia de las Aguilas. He was responding to a letter that the Coalition sent to the Confederation of Andalucian Businessmen, where they alert the Spaniards of the illegality of building in lots that fall under the protection of the law.