Tourism Ministry Brings Together Hotel Owners and the Community with the Cabarete Tourism Development Plan

Hotel owners and community tourism representatives from Cabarete discussed the main problems that affect this tourism area. They were participating in the Participatory Workshop Program on the Tourism Development Plan for this zone which is being implemented by the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR).

Participants at the event, held in El Velero Hotel of Cabarete, discussed the efficiency of potable water, electricity, tourist security systems, beaches…

The Ministry intends to interact with society in the area and to lay out the main points of the plan which includes the building a more sustainable tourism for this area.

The workshop was given by professionals and technicians from SECTUR´s Office of Planning and Projects which is coordinated by the architect Maribel Villalona, according to SECTUR.

Cesar José de los Santos, Deputy Tourism Minister for the Northern Region was also at the workshop. He listened to the speeches on problems that confront the community and tourism in the region of Cabarete.

De los Santos thanked the team of technicians from SECTUR´s Department of Planning and Projects and he said he was confident that this initiative will promote the changes being sought in the various sectors of Cabarete.

In view of the sustained development that has been tried is this tourism area, hotel owners recognized the need for a re-launch of Cabarete among the public and private sectors and investors in keeping with new demands of sustainable and competitive tourism.

Participants at the event, held in El Velero Hotel of Cabarete, discussed the efficiency of potable water, electricity, tourist security systems, beaches, infrastructure, urban development, environment and natural resources as well as other attractions offered to visitors.

Representatives from various local entities stressed the need for real estate companies not to construct buildings higher than three floors and the need for seismic studies to be done. They also suggested that guidelines be written for constructing buildings that are environmentally friendly and that don´t affect the excellent conditions, especially the wind circulation, very important for the area´s popular water sports. They also discussed preserving the Caribbean atmosphere of the people which also characterizes Cabarete.

They explained that the wind is of vital importance for Cabarete in that it is the scene of many surfing, windsurfing and kite-boarding events that capture the attention of millions of foreigners throughout Europe and the United States.

The hotel owners at the activity stressed the need for a quick solution to the problem of delinquency, prostitution and crime as well as the implementation of an educational program for the young people in the community.

They also demanded the construction of parking lots due to the chaos that occurs during traffic jams and for the swift completion of projects that have already begun in this tourism area.

The proposal on the Guidelines for the Cabarete Development Plan to be carried out under the architect Amín Serulle was laid out in a map of the Municipal District of Cabarete made by the National Statistics Office (ONE).

It also covers the mouth of the Yásica River up to the bridge that divides the Municipal District of Cabarete from Sosúa. It indicates those places that are feasible for the undertaking of new tourism real estate projects, the coastal area, the new formal and informal settlements, the risk areas in the Cabarete lakes and El Choco National Park as well as the need to pay attention to the coast and the preservation of beaches.

Architect Amín Serulle said that is it worrying that there are some four informal settlements located in El Choco Park near the Laguna, saying that it could affect tourism and the environment in the area. He said he believed the Tourism Development Plan was comprehensive and the fact that it is being carried out in a geographically diverse area, Cabarete can benefit from the differentiations and harmonious use of land if it is properly utilized between tourism investment in hotels and real estate and the conservation of its natural areas.

The Tourism Development Plan participatory workshop was attended by Lidia Capela, Deputy Secretary of Protected Areas of the Ministry of Environment.

Also in attendance were representatives from the community and from the Foundation for Cabarete Community Development, the Association for the Development of Cabarete, the Association of Cabarete Vendors, the Association for the Protection of the Environment in Cabarete and Sosúa and neighborhood organizations from Blanco, El Callejón, La Loma and La Ciénaga.

Maribel Villalona, Director SECTUR´s Department of Planning and Projects, speaking to those in attendance. Accompanying her around the table is César José de los Santos, Deputy Minister for Tourism for the Northern Region.

Maribel Villalona, Director of SECTUR´s Development and Planning Project, socializes with hotel owners and investors from Cabarete.