President Fernández Meets with Spanish Investors  

President Leonel Fernández held a work meeting with 16 Spanish investors in which they discussed investment possibilities in the tourism and energy sectors as well as railroad projects. At the working dinner the participants talked to President Fernández about how the Dominican state can continue to improve the country’s tourism infrastructure as Spanish investors are keen to carry on investing in the Dominican Republic, mainly in the Eastern zone where many of them are already established.

He invited his Spanish guests to sponsor the regional tourism schools that are part of the UASD University Centers, mainly in Higuey and Puerto Plata.

Spanish businessman, Juan José Hidalgo, President of the Globalia Group which represents Air Dominicana airlines, spoke about the promising future of the airline company and other investments being made in the sector. He said that as a result of these tourism investment plans, he expects to see a huge increase in the flow of Spanish tourism to the Dominican Republic, according to a press release from the President’s Office of Information, Press and Publicity.  

The Dominican President talked about how his new administration intends to create a link between Spain and the Dominican Republic with the training of personnel for tourism companies, mainly in the Eastern and Northern areas of the country.  He invited his Spanish guests to sponsor the regional tourism schools that are part of the UASD University Centers, mainly in Higuey and Puerto Plata.

In addition, President Fernández explained his country’s the global energy plan, saying that it consisted of reducing Dominican reliance of fossil fuels for its energy needs.

He explained that the government is working on three hydroelectric projects that will generate more than 200 megawatts, while also studying a private proposal for a Wind Energy Farm of 100 megawatts. In the meantime, he added, they are continuing to develop a plan to install two carbon plants of 600 megawatts each.

Related to energy-saving policies, Fernández told his visitors that the first line of the Santo Domingo Metro had been completed, with the technical assistance from Barcelona and consulting from Madrid’s Metro system.  

He invited the businessmen to see the government plan for the construction of two new metro lines, one in Santo Domingo and the second that will run from Haina to Santiago. The latter will be a cargo as well as passenger train. He explained that the Metro project is being financed by both the public and private sector.  

Some of the businessmen that met with President Fernández included Rafael Villaseca, of GEO Gas Natural; Juan José Hidalgo of the Globalia Group; Miguel Valls Maseda, President of the Chamber of Commerce in Barcelona; Abel Matutes, of Sol Melia Hotel Chain; Mario Sanz, of the San José Group; Gregorio Grau, Alberto Parera, Adolfo Favieres, Manuel Grau and Arturo Santana, among others.