Before the close of the final session of the legislature for those elected for the 2020-2024 term, the Chamber of Deputies approved the Corporacion Turistica Cabo Rojo initiative.
The bill seeks to establish the Cabo Rojo Tourism Corporation, a move aimed at boosting private investment and improving tourism management in Pedernales, on the southwestern border with Haiti.
The new corporation, structured as a joint-stock company, will be under the purview of the Presidency. Its primary mission will be to develop and operate service, hotel, and commercial infrastructures within the Cabo Rojo Tourism Project.
To safeguard against privatization, the bill mandates that state-owned funds be at least 51% of the corporation’s capital. The Cabo Rojo Tourism Corporation will have its own assets, legal personality, and the authority to incur commercial and contractual debts.
The approved bill also stipulates that the General of Public-Private Partnerships Agency will align the objectives and scope of the Pro-Pedernales Trust with the new organizational and operational framework established by the law.
The corporation will be a joint venture, with the government maintaining majority ownership. The corporation will have broad authority to develop and manage tourism infrastructure.
Introduced in the Senate by the Presidency in October 2023, the bill underwent two rounds of approval in the upper house before being sent to the Chamber of Deputies. After five months of deliberation, the deputies expedited the approval process, passing the bill in two readings to prevent it from lapsing.
The Cabo Rojo Tourism Project in the Dominican Republic is an ambitious initiative aimed at transforming the Pedernales province into a premier tourist destination, emphasizing sustainable and conservation-focused tourism.
Here are several key aspects of the project:
The Cabo Rojo Tourism Project is part of a broader effort to develop the southern region of the Dominican Republic, particularly the Pedernales area. This project is spearheaded by the Pro-Pedernales Trust and involves a public-private partnership model. It is expected to generate significant economic benefits, including the creation of approximately 15,000 jobs over the next decade.
The project contemplates the construction of ten hotels, with the first being operated by the Spanish hotel chain Iberostar, featuring 580 rooms. The overall plan encompasses a total of 12,000 hotel rooms to be developed over around ten years.
Likewise, the construction of an international airport is contemplated, a shopping center, an aqueduct, a wastewater treatment plant, and other essential infrastructure to support tourism and local communities.
The Cabo Rojo project is mandated to maintain an environmental focus and aims to promote responsible tourism while ensuring the preservation of local ecosystems. It encompasses white sand beaches but also extensive protected areas such as Jaragua National Park and the Cabo Rojo wetlands, highlighting a commitment to conservation and sustainable development.
Cabo Rojo has been rebranded as a tourist destination, with the slogan “Cabo Rojo: discover the new Caribbean.” This branding emphasizes the area’s natural beauty, including its diverse landscapes, lagoons, and rich biodiversity, aiming to attract adventure-seekers and eco-tourists alike.
The Corporation falls under the Ministry of the Presidency and not the Ministry of Tourism. Former director of the Public Private Alliance Department (APP) Sigmund Freund has explained the corporation has a broader scope than merely its development as a tourism destination.
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Diario Libre
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Listin Diario
30 July 2024