The Dominican tourism industry is now focusing on attracting tourists interested in a rural experience when visiting this Caribbean island.
Rural tourism is seen as an opportunity. Young people, women and farmers’ associations are targeted to get more access to credit to improve their rural tourism product.
The Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched the project: The inclusion of women, youth and associations of small farmers in the value chain of the tourism sector and to promote better job opportunities for women and youth in rural areas.
The project focuses on creating strategic alliances to strengthen associativity, improve training and opportunities to access credit, and generate greater agricultural products in the tourism sector chain with the participation of women and youth in rural areas.
Tourism Minister David Collado announced his full support for the agreement signed with the FAO. Other goals are the creation of micro-enterprises through family farming and their inclusion in the market for goods and services. Collado highlighted the project boosts the efforts of young people and women. “It raises the entrepreneurial spirit that is the vision we have in the tourism cabinet,” he said. “Our tourism has to be fair, inclusive and these types of innovations are what we are going to develop,” announced Collado.
FAO representative in the Dominican Republic, Rodrigo Castañeda says that the initiative seeks to promote job creation. “It is a project that changes lives, that eradicates poverty and these are the objectives of the 20-30 agenda of the United Nations,” he said.
The project is underway in three provinces (Pedernales, Samaná and Montecristi) from May of this year until November 2023. Other provinces may be added.
This initiative seeks to strengthen economic diversification for women and young people as part of the tourism recovery plan based on family agriculture with the alliance of the private sector.
“Creating a public and private financing program to promote rural employment in tourism markets to foster entrepreneurship in rural areas and to have government support in strengthening productive and technological capacity,” are some of the objectives, said Yira Vermenton, program promoter.
The committee to carry out the program includes the FAO, the ministries of Tourism, Agriculture, Environment, Women, Youth and Industry, Commerce, the Agricultural Bank and the National Association of Hotels and Tourism (Asonahores) and community leaders of the selected youth groups.
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Listin Diario
19 July 2022