Agreements on the Haitian crisis protect tourism and set clear rules for the construction and real estate sector

SANTO DOMINGO – The central premise of the Final Report of the Dialogue on the Haitian Crisis, prepared by the Economic and Social Council (CES), states that the Haitian crisis is not only a security , but also threatens the stability of key activities such as tourism, construction and the real estate sector , and sets a course of action in these strategic sectors of the Dominican economy.

The document, delivered to the President of the Republic, warns that “ the persistent political and security crisis in Haiti generates risks to the Dominican economy, affecting strategic sectors such as border trade, tourism and foreign direct investment .”

Analyzing the CES agreements reveals that they revolve around the same idea: protecting tourism from the crisis , while simultaneously providing construction and real estate with clear rules to open new investment opportunities.

The common denominator is simple, yet crucial: security, trust, and strong institutions as basic conditions for growth, and the report summarizes it in a powerful line: “Consolidating border security is an indispensable measure not only for national sovereignty but also for preserving trust in sensitive economic sectors.”

Protecting Tourism:

As the country’s main source of foreign exchange, the impact of the Haitian crisis on tourism is the greatest national concern. According to the CES report, “tensions at the border and international media coverage could negatively affect the country’s image , with potential repercussions for sectors such as tourism and exports . ”

This warning comes at a time when the sector is showing mixed signs: in the first quarter of 2025, 2.56 million passengers arrived by air, just 0.4% less than in 2024, but in the first half of the year, tourism revenues reached US$5.8 billion, an increase of 1.8%.

In this context, the CES agreements aim to protect the Dominican Republic's reputation as a tourist destination: “It is agreed to strengthen the public diplomacy and international communication strategy to

safeguard the Dominican Republic's reputation as a safe destination for tourism and investment.” Clear Rules

The construction sector, and by extension el inmobiliario , is mentioned in the report in relation to Haitian labor , which sustains a large part of the construction projects in the country. The CES recommends “ regulating ” this workforce within the framework of current law, preventing informality and project interruptions.

The timing could not be more critical: between January and February 2025 construction fell −7.7% year-on-year, and in the January-April period it accumulated a decline of −2.3%.

For developers, clear rules mean predictability: less uncertainty about worker availability translates into safer projects, more stable costs, and greater investor confidence. Furthermore, the agreements include plans to boost investment in border infrastructure , projects that would not only strengthen security and development in the area but also open up real estate and tourism opportunities in territories that have been underutilized until now.

Foreign Investment:

The confidence of international capital is another key focus of the report. The Central Bank reports that in the first half of 2025, foreign direct investment (FDI) reached US$2,892.8 million, up from US$2,374.3 million in the same period of 2024.

Meanwhile, tourism revenues totaled US$5.8 billion in the first six months of 2025, representing moderate growth compared to the strong performance of 2024, when the sector generated US$10.9744 billion for the entire year and received more than 11.1 million non-resident visitors.
These figures support the Economic and Social Council's (CES) priority of ensuring security and institutional stability, essential conditions for investors to keep their capital in the country.

Deportations and their economic impact:

The CES report supports the country's right to apply its immigration law, but warns that such measures must be carried out “ in strict compliance with the law, respecting human rights and the dignity of individuals,” and proposes that they be accompanied by regulations governing foreign labor in strategic sectors, such as construction, to mitigate the economic effects of the mass exodus of workers.

So far in 2025, the Dominican Republic has deported 250,741 Haitians in irregular migratory status, according to official data from the General Directorate of Migration.

The scale of the expulsions poses a concrete dilemma for the construction and real estate sectors: while security and immigration control measures are being implemented, a portion of the workforce that these sectors urgently need is being paralyzed, exacerbating the decline already experienced by construction in the first months of the year.
On the other hand, this harsh immigration policy is juggling institutional efforts to protect tourism and promote foreign investment, and the agreements reached by the Economic and Social Council (CES) are part of this tension: they seek to preserve the country's reputation among investors and visitors by strengthening security and institutions, without neglecting the need for clear regulations for foreign labor.

In that logic, ensuring that deportations do not end up eroding productive capacity, and therefore, the confidence of the real estate sector, becomes as important a component as public diplomacy commitments or incentives for border infrastructure.

Ultimately, the CES agreements seek more than just short-term solutions: they aim to safeguard the country's main source of foreign currency in the face of the Haitian crisis, organize the construction and real estate workforce, and, above all, guarantee a climate of security and confidence for foreign investment.

The challenge will be to turn these proposals into effective policies that balance migration control, competitiveness, and institutional stability—three pillars without which none of these sectors will be able to sustain their growth.

Context

The Dialogue for the Haitian Crisis was a multi-sectoral process convened by the Economic and Social Council (CES) at the request of President Luis Abinader, which brought together for several months representatives of political parties, businessmen, unions, social organizations, academics and civil society entities.

Its central objective was to build national consensus in the face of the impact of the Haitian crisis in the Dominican Republic, addressing issues such as migration, border security, foreign policy, economy and human rights, and culminated in a set of proposals and agreements delivered to the Executive Branch in September 2025.

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