The Dominican Republic is the first country in the world in terms of the amount of money spent by the government in the tourism sector, confirmed Senior Economist from the World Economic Forum, Irene Mía, who added that the sustainability of the tourism sector is a difficult challenge for the DR in the face of its competitors.

...the Dominican government utilizes more than 20 per cent of its total [budget] for tourism...

The international expert indicated that according to the Forum’s Travel Competitiveness Index, the Dominican government “utilizes more than 20 per cent of its total [budget] for tourism, which places the nation above its competitors in the region,” according to a press release from the National Competitiveness Council.

Irene Mía was speaking at a conference that formed part of the meeting “Everyone Under the Same Roof” organized by the Dominican Sustainable Tourism Alliance (DSTA), a project supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with additional support from the National Competitiveness Council.

The workshop, “For a More Competitive and Sustainable Dominican Tourism,” took place last week in Santiago and was coordinated by the USAID through the Dominican Sustainable Tourism Alliance, the National Competitiveness Council and the Ministry of Tourism.

Representatives from the private sector, local and municipal authorities, the central government and the civil society participated in the three-day event. The main objective of the meeting was to arrive at a common vision for the development of a more sustainable and competitive tourism in the Dominican Republic. Starting from this common viewpoint, they will design a plan of action to carry out the USAID-DSTA program in such a way that it will respond appropriately to the priorities and needs of the Dominican Republic in order to achieve its objectives of sustainable tourism.

The Executive Director of the National Competitiveness Council Andrés Van der Horst Álvarez, said the initiative seeks to utilize the best international practices in order to make tourism more sustainable and more integrated in the area of human development. He also said that tourism cannot be sustainable if the people who work in the sector do not benefit from it.

“It is part of our goal to develop this vision of sustainable tourism as a way to confront climate change and the challenges of exclusion, poverty and marginalization.”

Historic Event

“raising consciousness about the role of biodiversity in sustainable development and especially in tourism.”

William Brands, deputy director of USAID, called this meeting an historic event in that the public and private sector are working together to “support new methodologies to sustainable tourism and to improve the competitiveness of the Dominican tourism market within the global market.”

He explained that the Dominican Sustainable Tourism Alliance project has some 850 million pesos, of which the USAID donated half, because it is convinced that “the establishment of new alliances and collaborative activities seems to be the key necessary for the benefits of travel and tourism to have a positive impact on Dominican communities and its inhabitants, such as the protection of cultural heritage and the conservation of biodiversity.

Meanwhile, the Minister of the Environment, Omar Ramírez, said that these types of actions confirm the importance of “raising consciousness about the role of biodiversity in sustainable development and especially in tourism.” He insisted that we should all “perfect tourism” with the same commitment we need to make to “take care of and protect our natural resources.”

Radhamés Martínez Aponte, Deputy Minister of Tourism, agreed that tourism should contribute to alleviating poverty and raising the quality of life while maximizing the close links this industry has with the rest of the economy.

“The moment has arrived in which the Ministry of Tourism should coordinate these initiatives under a master plan, that is, under this roof, in that it is the governing voice of policies in the tourism sector.”

The objective of the USAID-DSTA program is to promote sustainable tourism and diversification in terms of touristic products offered in the Dominican Republic. As such, the program will contribute to the generation of major economic benefits for small and medium sized businesses in the sector, improving overall tourism satisfaction and the international image of the Dominican Republic as it improves the life style and quality of life of its inhabitants. The program will provide technical assistance and funds to support initiatives such as the incorporation of natural, historical and cultural resources of our country into the dynamic of sustainable tourism that guarantees both its conservation for future generations and the total satisfaction of our visitors.