The World Tourism Organization (WTO) handed a report to the Dominican Government that recommended disregarding any hotel projects on Bahia de las Aguilas (Eagles” Bay) in the Southwest Coast of the Dominican Republic. Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez had requested the support of the WTO for the hotel development of the area. On several occasions he has announced that by 2006, some 3,500 hotel rooms should be in operation. Environmentalists and the National Hotel & Restaurant Association have opposed the development of the protected area.
As part of the Jaragua National Park, the white-sand and turquoise water area of Bahia de las Aguilas has been a coveted darling of hotel developers for years. The WTO report now says that the better option would be the development of the area under the model of sustainable tourism, including eco-tourism, which would take advantage of the fragile ecosystems in the area as well as the magnificent vistas.
As reported in Hoy, the organization says that tourism development should not “be an excuse for undermining the exceptional natural patrimony that not only belongs to the Dominican people but also to humanity at large.”
The World Tourism Organization report recommends that the Ministry of Tourism send their own technicians to the Seychelles where there is a model of sustainable tourism in practice that could be imitated in the Dominican Southwest. Along with a sustainable tourism model, the WTO also recommends the improvement of the town of Pedernales through the construction of small and medium-sized hotels built with this type of tourism in mind. Each hotel should dedicate an area, equal to or larger than the actual buildings, to a private natural reserve or garden, thus preserving the biodiversity.
The UNDP (United Nations Development Program) representative in the Dominican Republic, Nicky Fabiancic, told reporters from the Listin Diario that the UNDP has high hopes for the development of the region and that “specialized tourism” is the model of the future, so the repetition of traditional tourism development models is not necessary.