Andres Van Der Horst Alvarez, director of the National Competitiveness Council (CNC) says that the country needs to diversify its tourism products, and promote a tourism product that fluctuates between luxury and authenticity. Van Der Horst spoke at the Union of Iberoamerican Capital Cities event, organized by the Santo Domingo city government. He says that the DR has many advantages it hasn’t fully exploited. He mentioned the natural reserves, caves, historic sites, 17 national parks, 13 nature reserves, 20 forests, 300 species of birds, and 350 species of orchids as tourist offerings that could be better exploited. Van Der Horst announced President Fernandez would launch the country brand program at the end of the spring. He said all citizens need to embrace this as a national identity, beyond a slogan, rather a collection of values.