Presidential candidate Hipólito Mejía said on campaign over the weekend that he is proposing the creation of a Tourism Development Council made up by members of the private and public sectors. The role of the council would be to relaunch the tourism industry and revise the industry-related legislation as well as implement a national tourism territorial order plan. He is proposing to eliminate all fiscal distortions that make the tourism product more expensive, and affects its competitiveness. He also promised to confront the problems that affect the aviation industry. He presented his program to tourism organization leaders gathered at the Hotel Embajador on Sunday. Present at the event was his vice presidential candidate, Milagros Ortiz Bosch. Mejía spoke of the need to build and maintain due infrastructure in tourism areas, tackle the environmental issues, reorganize the public institutions, modernize the legislation and rulings of the industry as a sine qua non condition to achieving real development in the sector. He said that if he wins the elections, he proposes to promote investment in the many travel-related activities, and put into place an effective tourism promotion campaign. He says that because he believes in tourism, he commits to promote a sustained process of consolidation and expansion of the industry which he says plays a strategic role in the economic and social development of the country. He said he would strengthen and modernize the Ministry of Tourism, as well as the institutions of the private sector. He says his government program calls for building basic infrastructure, health centers, schools, housing, rural roads, urban reorganization, signposting and for the modernization of transport.
