Organizations Take On the Commitment of Sustainable Tourism in the Dominican Republic

A total of 141 representatives of the tourism “clusters” from around the country along with government functionaries and members of the private sector have reached a commitment to develop a work plan that will promote sustainable tourism in the Dominican Republic.

“The work agenda we propose includes inserting a series of fundamental pillars that make up the basic line of action to promote sustainable tourism. These pillars include investment, education, policies and legal framework, strategy and tourism products, a national plan and sustainability,”

This was one of the main conclusions of the workshop “Everyone Under the Same Roof” that was held last weekend in Santiago. The meeting was called by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Dominican Sustainable Tourism Alliance (DSTA), the National Competitiveness Council and the Ministry of Tourism.

Public and private groups and agencies that participated in the meeting all agreed to establish a 100-day plan as well as a 1,000-day plan as a way to outline concrete actions that will allow the DR to become one of the countries in the world that protect their natural resources while still developing their tourism industry, according to a press release from the National Competitiveness Council (CNC).

The information was disseminated by Lissette Gil, coordinator of the Dominican Sustainable Tourism Alliance (DSTA) project that is being carried out with funds from the USAID and matched by local donors. “The work agenda we propose includes inserting a series of fundamental pillars that make up the basic line of action to promote sustainable tourism. These pillars include investment, education, policies and legal framework, strategy and tourism products, a national plan and sustainability,” said Ms. Gil.

The public and private groups determined that the National Competitiveness Council would be the organization that would coordinate the government’s and donor’s activities to make certain they are on the same track, according to Jaime Moreno, CNC advisor.

Moreno said “the National Competitiveness Council (CNC) will assume this role with the understanding that the national tourism industry has a great future if it can guarantee the sustainability and diversification as a way of responding to the international tendencies of a travel industry that is friendly to the environment and to the society as a whole.”

The tourism “clusters” of Samaná, Puerto Plata, La Altagracia, Romana – Bayahibe, Santo Domingo, Pedernales, Barahona, Constanza, Jarabacoa all participated in the meeting as well as private tourism start-ups and representatives from the private sector of these provinces.

National and International Experts Weigh in On Subject

National and international experts also participated in the talks on the subject of sustainability and competitive tourism. Italian economist Irene Mía of the World Economic Forum said the Dominican government spends more money than any other country in the world on tourism. The international expert said 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.”

…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.”

Marion Rodgers, of National Geographic, talked about the concept and principles of Geoturismo for which, according to the expert, the participation of the community forms a vital part and that the community must benefit from the tourism activity. As a result, the inhabitants will be proud of where they live and will therefore take better care of their surroundings. One of the main recommendations of Ms. Rogers is to encourage tourists to visit places where locals live which ultimately adds value to the travelers experience in the country and shows off people’s hospitality.

Cesar Castañeda is the Director of the Office of the Center for Destinations of Excellence, a member of the Organization of World Tourism. He said that although the Dominican Republic has nothing on its agenda at the moment to implement a measurement of excellence system (SMED) developed by the institution he represents, in that it aspires to be a very important destination in the Caribbean an excellence measurement system would set a good example for other world destinations. The SMED is a system that helps measure excellence in terms of geographic aspects, services, the government and particular activities available at each destination.

Dominican economist Miguel Ceara Hatton called for people to think about an immediate intervention in favor of the environment especially in the face of drought, deforestation and damage to beaches, adding that the future of tourism is at stake if these issues are not dealt with immediately.

With the understanding that “not all growth generates well being,” Ceara Hatton said that currently we are using up the national assets of the Dominican Republic, our heritage and our environmental footprint. For him, it is not enough just to grow. He says that growth and increased income, salaries, flow of tourism and hotel rooms should all be able to occur without having to impoverish the inhabitants of the land, destroy and degrade the environment and the ecological assets of the country.

Lissette Gil, coordinator of the Dominican Sustainable Tourism Alliance (DSTA)