Of the seven or so million tourists that come to the Dominican Republic each year, only a miniscule fraction of them even know about the fascinating things to be seen and experienced in the seven provinces that make up the land border with Haiti. The Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development recently shared a map and a list of just a few of the many enchanting things to do and see in these provinces. Diario Libre shares this information with its readers.
The border provinces are Pedernales, Independencia, Bahoruco, Elias Piña, Dajabon, Santiago Rodriguez and Montecristi.
Without a doubt there are the typical tourist attractions, especially beaches in two of the provinces. Of the 57 beaches in Pedernales and Montecristi, 33 are in Pedernales, including the famous Bahia de las Aguilas. Montecristi is noted for El Morro and Punta Rucia.
However, there is more, much more. In fact, the Ministry of Economy has indicated that there are other types of tourism that are important to the area: rural tourism, agri-tourism and mountain tourism.
Rural Tourism shows visitors traditional construction techniques, artisanry, literary, music, and foods, as well as local culture. Of the nearly 500 important patrimonial elements along the border, 33% are considered “cultural” and the remainder are “natural,” that is beaches, hot springs, waterfalls, rain forests and so forth.
There are only 35 places to stay in this area and the average size of the hospitality units is just 14 rooms, which pales in consideration with La Altagracia (Punta Cana) province with 165 hotels and 51,000 rooms.
But it must be noted that President Abinader is supporting and encouraging the development of Montecristi (the Manzanillo Bay Project) and Pedernales, (the Pedernales-Cabo Rojo Project).
The area has so much to offer that the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development says that the trickle-down effect will benefit the entire population of these provinces. The interactive map created by Diario Libre with places to go for activities is quite interesting.
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Diario Libre
22 August 2023