President Danilo Medina was in Punta Cana on Monday, 17 July 2017, where he was honored by Punta Cana hoteliers for his contributions to the tourism boom in the East. Speaking for the hoteliers, Ernesto Veloz, president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism Projects of the East (Asoleste) mentioned the impact on hotel development in the area of the road infrastructure built under the Medina administration. The event was held at Playa Blanca, in Punta Cana Resort & Club, hosted by Frank Rainieri, president of the Puntacana Group and his wife, Haydee.
The Medina government has completed the Circuito Vial del Este with over 258 kilometers covering the provinces of La Altagracia, Hato Mayor, El Seibo and La Romana and connecting the tourism destinations of La Romana, Bávaro, Punta Cana, Macao, Uvero Alto and Miches.
Veloz also appreciated the tax incentives package that has been decisive in the boom in hotel construction in the East. He also spoke of the support to the US immigration pre-clearance facilities at the Punta Cana International Airport.
The spokesman for the Association of Hotels and Tourism Projects of the East (Asoleste) highlighted that from 2013-2016 the Punta Cana area has grown 44% stimulated by policies and actions adopted by the Medina administration. Arrivals by the Punta Cana International Airport increased from 2.4 million visitors in 2012 to 3.4 million in 2016. The number of hotel rooms in Punta Cana increased 34,000 in 2012 to 41,000 in 2016.
Speaking for the hotel owners, Haydee Kuret de Rainieri called President Medina, the Tourism President for his contributions to the sector.
During the visit, President Medina was accompanied by Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier García, Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo and Administrative Minister of the Presidency José Ramón Peralta.
The recognition comes at a time when two of the roads, built by Odebrecht, have been criticized for overpricing. These are the Bávaro-Miches road that went from an original contracted US$265,349,314 to a final US$370,195,377 and the Coral Highway that started with a contract of US$253,702,835 and ended costing US$471,062.590.
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Presidencia
18 July 2017
