Spanish Tourism Investments in Dominican Republic Continue to Grow

Spanish tourism in the Dominican Republic has been on the rise for these past years, totaling some $2.155 billion dollars between 1993 and 2007, revealed Dominican Tourism Minister Félix Jiménez to a full auditorium made up of members of the Confederation of Andalusian Businesspeople and Spanish investors.

Spanish investors are also involved in an important series of planned and already approved tourism projects…

This figure is equivalent to 17.8% of the total direct foreign investment (US $12.114 billion dollars) received in the tourism sector. Only the United States’ investment is higher ($US4.209 billion) than the Spanish investment for this period, according to the Central Bank of the DR.

Spanish investors are also involved in an important series of planned and already approved tourism projects for the coming five-year period of 2008-2012 which will cost some $US8 billion dollars, said the Tourism Minister at the conference “The Dominican Republic: Tourism, Investment and Sustainable Development” held last Tuesday in the Aula Magna of the Business Institute in Madrid, according to the Tourism Ministry.

Mr. Jiménez said the extraordinary growth of Dominican tourism has significantly coincided with the sustainable development model put into place in 2004, with the intention of “promoting sustainable development that is beneficial to the economy, society and environment.”

“To this end, we have worked out, with the total participation of the hotel, private and real estate sector, the National Plan of Tourism Competitiveness 2007,” said Jiménez.

This strategy, he explained, is sustained on six basic pillars: Development of infrastructures, territorial organization, the formation and training of personnel, promotion, health and public security regulations and the integration of the community.

He said that along these same lines, they formed the Tourism Zones Infrastructure Executor Committee (CEIZTUR), an organization “that has undertaken projects worth $US89 billion dollars in addition to investments in tourism zones around the country,” and “will be substituted by the National Institute of Tourism Development (INDETUR),” whose original legislation is currently passing through the National Congress.”  

Jiménez pointed out that the new organization will be in charge of “planning and regulation of the country’s tourism territories; overseeing projects; the development and maintenance of infrastructure,” among other things.

In terms of training personnel, Jiménez said the President submitted a modification of the Organic Law of the National Institute of Professional and Technical Training (INFOTEP) to Congress to be included in the Ministry of Tourism’s Executive Board “so that two-thirds of the economic support of the tourism sector will be dedicated to training and education, including workers related indirectly with the sector.”

“Also, the formation of the Institute for the Promotion and Image of Tourism (INPRITUR) will be submitted to the National Congress. The object of this organization will be the promotion of tourism and Dominican culture such as the development of a brand for national and international consumption,” added Mr. Jiménez.

“Also, the formation of the Institute for the Promotion and Image of Tourism (INPRITUR) will be submitted to the National Congress…”

He went on the refer to the efficient labor of the Tourism Police (POLITUR), who guarantee public safety and security in tourism zones and who serve as an example for other countries in the region. He talked about the National Strategic Plan for the Development of Ecotourism which seeks the integration of the communities in the development of tourism.

Present in the auditorium where the Tourism Minister delivered his speech were businesspeople and industrialists from different areas, promoters, hotel owners, press, restaurant owners and university professors. Important investors in the Dominican Republic were also at the meeting, including Pepe Hidalgo from the Globalia Group; Abel Matutes of the Fiesta Hotels; Pablo Piñero of the Piñero-Bahía Príncipe Group;  Pedro Luis Cobiella of Hospiten; Adolfo Favieres from  Inverotel and Augusto Huescar from the World Tourism Organization (WTO).

Prior to giving his speech, a brief and informative introduction of Minister Jiménez was offered. The short bio of the Tourism Minister, who served from 1996-2000 and 2004-2008, included his solid education as an economist in addition to his career as a writer, politician and legislator.

The conference was part of Jiménez’s strenuous tour that began last Saturday until next Monday in which he is visiting three important European countries with large tourism stakes in the DR: Spain, Switzerland and Italy.

Félix Jiménez, Dominican Tourism Minister and Gonzalo Garland, Economics Professor and General Director of External Relations of the IE Business School.