The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is financing a programme to promote the Colonial City of Santo Domingo as a popular tourism venue. These upgrades and renovations will widen the variety of destinations to visit during Dominican Republic holidays, thus generating more monetary income for the Caribbean country and creating more jobs for the capital city's residents.
Image of Catedral Primada by : anuragyagnik, on Flickr.
The Dominican Republic's economy greatly depends on its tourism sector. In 2009, 6.3 per cent of its gross domestic product and 64 per cent of its foreign exchange (worth $1.4 billion) came from the tourism industry. Furthermore, around 200,000 jobs depended on tourism that year as did 9 per cent of foreign direct investment.
The $30 million loan approved by the IDB looks to widen the net on tourism activities which are currently concentrated in beach destinations like Punta Cana, La Romana, Puerto Plata and Samana. This programme will help holidays in the Dominican Republic reposition themselves as one of the most appealing Caribbean options for holidaymakers, opening new frontiers that go further than the typical "sun and sand" offers.
Image by: puroticorico, on Flickr.
The new branch of tourism that's being promoted on the country is based on the cultural and historical heritage of Santo Domingo. This new programme will include: the restoration of the Colonial City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the promotion of the tourism production chain, and the support of tourism activities, such as tours and sightseeing, provided by locals, who will share their culture and lifestyle with travellers.
Image of Fortaleza Ozama by : JohnConnell, on Flickr.
The plan's main goal is to make the Colonial City and its people play a leading role in the development of this new project, and become the receivers of the primary economic perks. Mercedes Velasco, head of the IDB project team, stated that this programme will make the number of visitors to the country increase. By broadening the range of diversity in the tourism sector and highlighting the culture and history of the capital, Dominican Republic holidays will combine quality with quantity.
"The programme will develop tourism in the Colonial City with a comprehensive vision to ensure that growth in the sector is not only quantitative but above all qualitative," she said "and that it takes place in an orderly and sustainable manner that ensures the participation of local people and good experiences for visitors."
Image by: puroticorico, on Flickr.
The project consists of three main components. The development of tourism in the Colonial City comes first; by financing mechanisms, goods and services they guarantee improvement in public spaces as high-quality spots for tours and tourist circuits. By improving and renovating some major attractions in the city, travellers will feel more compelled to increase the length of stay in Dominican Republic hotels and resorts as well as spend more on their outgoings.
The second component has local residents as a key factor. The programme wishes to integrate tourism development into the Colonial City's economy, improving conditions for low-income people. Training locals in the tourism sector will provide access to pre-investment and investment resources for small businesses, helping them to provide quality services and this way increase benefits.
Lastly, the programme also searches to reinforce the Ministry of Tourism's capacity for efficient planning and sustainable management and improve information services to the local and travelling community.
About the Author
Born in Cuba and having lived and studied in London for over 5 years, Susana is a recent university graduate with a passion for travel who has taken much inspiration from the exotic destination she has visited throughout the years.
Upon graduating she has ultimately come to join an important UK tour operator specialised in Cuba holidays to share her love for travel with holidaymakers as the company's very own travel reporter and news editor. Her interest in the tourism industry was formed from a very early age, following her father's footsteps, a travel representative and manager, who worked for Cuba's national air carrier and whose travelling job was also the reason she found herself travelling from an early age and living in different parts of the world with her family.
Having travelled extensively herself, throughout her home country in Cuba, Europe and other faraway destinations in Asia and the Middle East, including exotic hot spots like China and Egypt, she continues to nourish and build upon her tourism knowledge to bring our travel readers with a fresh outlook on the latest happenings in the holiday industry.
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