President Luis Abinader, who heads his administration’s Tourism Cabinet, gave the tourism sector the most paragraphs of productive sectors in his 27 February 2022 rendition of accounts speech during the joint session of Congress.
Abinader proudly reported that the industry had overcome the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. He reiterated what is known. That more tourists visited during the last quarter of 2021 than in the same period in pre-pandemic year of 2019. And that December 2021 was a record year for arrivals with 720,000 tourists for the month. He highlighted this translates into more than US$5.4 billion in tourism receipts that has contributed to exchange rate stability at a time of major external impacts.
“We acted responsibly and decisively, and the results are in. We already receive more than 5,200 flights each month with 8 out of 10 seats filled. During 2021 the cruise ships began to arrive, and during the last quarter of the year we recovered 61% of cruise passenger traffic. Taino Bay, a new cruise port in the city of Puerto Plata, was inaugurated,” he told the legislators, special guests and general public.
The President spoke of how, despite the pandemic in 2021, the government approved 47 new tourism projects that will add 9,423 hotel rooms and represent US$1.7 billion in investment. These add to the already 8,000 hotel rooms under construction. “This prepares us for the strong growth that awaits us in the next three years,” said the President.
He highlighted 21 tourism infrastructure projects were taken up again in 2021, a US$965 million investment. Of these nine are going up in established tourism destinations — Malecón de Cabrera, the renovation of Laguna Gri-Gri in the north coast. Also investments in northeast, eastern and southeastern beaches, such as Playa Las Galeras (Samana), Playa Esmeralda, Playa Macao (Punta Cana), Playa Guayacanes (San Pedro de Macoris), and in the southwest, Playa los Patos and Playa el Quemaíto (Barahona).
More than 23 new infrastructure projects are planned for 2022, said the President. He stressed: “Each of them has a clear focus: to generate opportunities for a more inclusive tourism and closer to the communities.”
The Abinader administration is betting on the Pedernales Tourism Development Project in the Southwest. Abinader is optimistic it will transform the lives of thousands of people in the province of Pedernales and throughout the southern region of the country. He says the tourism developments in the Cabo Rojo area will mark a before and after in the tourism development in the country. “We want to make known to the world the wonders of places such as the Hoyo de Pelempito, Oviedo Lagoon, Beata Island and the exuberant Bahía de las Águilas, among others,” he said referring to attractions in southwestern Pedernales province.
The President said that development is planned in four phases, spread out over 10 years. The estimated investment is US$2.24 billion. The first phase alls for an investment of US$1.3 billion for the construction of the first 4,700 rooms of the total 12,000 by the end of the project. Eight resorts are contemplated. Tourism companies Hilton, Marriott, Sunwing, AmResorts, Iberostar Group and Karisma Hotels & Resorts have signed letters of commitment to begin construction in the middle of 2022. He highlighted the first phase contemplates the construction of an international airport, a shopping mall and the completion of basic infrastructure works, such as the construction of an aqueduct, a water treatment plant and an electrical transmission system. He estimated 20,000 direct jobs and 50,000 indirect jobs will be created.
President Abinader is also closely following new developments in the Miches, El Seibo area, on the east coast, north of Punta Cana. While now the only big resort is the Club Med, by 2024, he expects at least four more to be under construction following the ProMiches master plan guidelines. He said the guidelines give priority to the environment and identify the needed public investments. Several projects have begun or continue their development to date, including the Four Seasons Tropicana, Hotel Zemí, Viva Miches and Secrets Playa Esmeralda. These projects represent more than US$1 billion in investments, some 2,900 hotel rooms and 2,000 additional rooms in vacation dwellings. He expects tourism to mean 10,000 jobs during the construction process and 6,000 afterwards.
President Abinader also spoke of the Punta Bergantín project on the north coast, near Playa Dorada and between Sosúa and Puerto Plata city. He said the designs are ready and the cinematographic ecosystem and innovation hub in the midst of a paradisiacal beach will soon be launched. He said Vin Diesel’s One Race Films has committed to develop a movie studio and training center on eight million meters, 3,200 hotel rooms, and a vacation homes venture.
The President spoke of the efforts underway to continue the Colonial City revitalization plan. “Giving value to the most important legacy of our history has to be a priority. Along with this revitalization, we announce the design of the Santo Domingo Convention Center, one of the most innovative in the Caribbean region,” announced the President.
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Presidency
Presidency
1 March 2022