SANTO DOMINGO- President Luis Abinader announced this Tuesday that he will travel to the province of Pedernales, in the south of the country, starting Wednesday, for the historic welcome of the first cruise ship to anchor at the port of Cabo Rojo, scheduled to arrive on January 4, 2024.
The president announced this during an event held this morning in the Las Cariátides Hall of the National Palace, when questioned about the boom and vision of the tourism sector at the end of 2023.
The president took the opportunity to highlight the importance of the sector with the arrival of the first cruise ship on the country's southern coast and added that he would be accompanied by the first lady, Raquel Arbaje, while extending the invitation to members of the press.
“We invite you all to join us the day after tomorrow (Thursday the 4th) to welcome the first cruise ship to Cabo Rojo, Pedernales. Raquel and I are leaving tomorrow (Wednesday), Raquel Arbaje, because we need to be specific… we will be sleeping in Pedernales and will be welcoming the first cruise ship,” he said, expressing his excitement about this achievement.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place at 10:30 a.m. this Thursday; however, the head of state plans to leave a day earlier to make some tours prior to the event.
The Norwegian Cruise Line is the shipping company responsible for bringing the Norwegian Pearl ship to a safe port, as reported yesterday, January 1st, by the newspaper El Nacional.
The Dominican Port Authority (Apordom) reported that the first phase of the Port of Cabo Rojo in Pedernales is ready with the rehabilitation of about 200 meters of dock, plus a mooring knot, characteristics that will allow it to receive several vessels.
Cabo Rojo Tourism Development Project
The "Cabo Rojo-Pedernales Tourism Development Plan" was initiated in March of last year, under the coordination of the General Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships (DGAPP), which leads its execution through a trust.
“Cabo Rojo-Pedernales will be the first tourist destination in the Caribbean developed from scratch under a public-private partnership, with a luxury offering based on sustainable tourism, taking care of every detail to offer tourists an ecological and adventure experience,” said the executive director of the DGAPP, Sigmund Freund.
