The second stage of the Program for Tourism Development in the Colonial City by the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) is on hold, having been paralyzed due to differences between the government institutions and the sectors involved, a report in Diario Libre on 19 June 2018 reveals.
For this reason, the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) that is funding the project has not handed over the US$90 million of the second loan, due in March of this year. With the disbursement deadline past, the authorities have still not agreed on the government institution that should head up the second stage of the works. The first part was managed by the Ministry of Tourism.
The support of the IDB has been in two parts: one for US$30 million, plus support from the Dominican government of US$1,150,000 and was to be used for the restoration and refurbishment of museums, streets, houses, lights and the installation of security cameras in the Colonial City. The second part, for US$90 million has not been disbursed by IDB.
Maribel Villalona, director of Planning and Projects for Mitur, and coordinator of the US$30 million first project, explained that the plan has been to create a trust between the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and the National District City Hall and that the changes planned were complex, leading to the delay. The second phase was contemplated in both the 2016 and 2017 budgets. But apparently there are differences regarding if Mitur would continue to lead the second part of the project to be funded by the US$90 million loan.
Villalona explained that the new loan would be used to improve nine kilometers of roads, renovate plazas and homes and to integrate commercial and tourist activities as well as the refurbishment of the Ruins of San Francisco and to improve parking.
Over the last three years, Santo Domingo and the Colonial City have received more than a million tourists and the numbers of visitors have increased each year.
According to the Bulletin from the Tourist Observatory of the Colonial City in 2017 there were 1,499,083 tourists of whom 43% came from the United States, 20% from Europe, 15% from central America and the Caribbean and 21% from the rest of the world. In addition 528 new businesses were created.
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Diario Libre
20 June 2018
