The Samana Tourism Cluster (CTS) has called for the government to find ways of reducing the toll on the Santo Domingo-Samana highway that now costs RD$1,876. This compares to the RD$300 toll to get to Punta Cana from Santo Domingo, a similar distance. The Samana highway contract was signed during the Leonel Fernandez government and guarantees minimum revenue levels for the company that financed the highway. The Samana Tourism Cluster says that the high cost of the tolls is an obstacle to tourism development and investment in the province. They urged the Ministry of Public Works and the Autopistas del Nordeste and Boulevard Turistico del Atlantico companies to conduct a reasonable review of the rates charged to encourage more traffic.
It takes about two hours to drive from Santo Domingo to Samana using the toll road, compared to the around four hours on the alternative route.
“As business owners, we realize that highways made with private funds charge tolls to recoup the investment and that contracts need to be respected, but the rates established are out of proportion and when compared to similar highways do not justify the prices that are being collected, and affect the competitiveness of our tourism destination,” says CTS.
The CTS also complained that the more than 53,000 tourists who have arrived via the El Catey International Airport are forced to pay too high a cost for the 24 km route to get to Las Terrenas, and tourist transport vehicles have to pay even when they are traveling to the airport empty to pick up tourists. The CTS says that the situation affects visitor satisfaction and small business development in the area.
“We appeal to our authorities to review this situation within the legal framework of the contracts that have been signed. We also trust in the goodwill of the Ministry of Public Works and the company that has the concession to find a solution that enables us to position ourselves in an increasingly competitive touristic market,” stated the Samana Tourism Cluster.