President Abinader says the projection for the end of the year is 2 million cruise passengers and added that 1,325,442 cruise passengers have arrived in the country, which is equivalent to 132,544,000 dollars.
With an investment of US$80 million, President Luis Abinader yesterday led the presentation of the San Pedro de Macorís Port Transformation project, where he also announced the ferry route from this city to Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
The president said that the development of San Pedro de Macorís is closely linked to the port, so its reactivation is necessary, with the participation of the private sector, which can be used in different ways, since this is the industrial and cargo part both import and export, but for that the tourism part was missing.
He noted that the tourism sector begins today with the Spanish company Balearia, which serves other countries, and that it will launch a ferry service on the daily route between San Pedro de Macorís and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The ferry will have a capacity of 400 vehicles and will carry both tourists and cargo, generating significant economic activity in the area. He said they hope this route will be successful and establish the region and the port as an attraction for the entire Caribbean.
He noted that the tourism sector begins today with the Spanish company Balearia, which serves other countries, and that it will launch a ferry service on the daily route between San Pedro de Macorís and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The ferry will have a capacity of 400 vehicles and will carry tourists and cargo, generating significant economic activity in the area. He said they hope this route will be successful and establish the area and the port as an attraction for the entire Caribbean, according to today's edition of the newspaper Hoy.
He indicated that he immediately thought of this city when the proposal to operate the ferry was made to him. President Abinader said that in addition to the port, the entire area will be remodeled to beautify it and provide a more attractive view for tourists visiting the region.
He understands that to achieve this, they need to create a complementary and necessary offering so that tourists from Puerto Rico and elsewhere can visit the restaurants and activities of this province, which has much to offer in terms of culture and other areas. He maintained that this is the result of a conversation within a government that is always seeking the benefit and development of all regions of the country.
Balearia
Meanwhile, Adolfo Utor Martínez, president of the Balearia company, said that it has been difficult to open a maritime line in our modality, which is very specific to maritime transport, since they transport passengers, goods and cars, and that this modality is not widespread in the Caribbean.
He indicated that the Balearia Company is 25 years old and covers the same number of maritime routes in different countries, so they have moved more than five million passengers and seven million linear meters of cargo.
He stated that the port of Mayagüez is ready to operate and supported this public-private project, thanking President Abinader and the other Dominican and Puerto Rican authorities for making it possible to realize the project in record time.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Dominican Port Authority, Jean Luis Rodríguez, said that the transformation project of the port of San Pedro de Macorís begins today, which fulfills everything that people longed for, which is the integration of cargo and tourism and that the residents of San Pedro de Macorís will also have a space for leisure and recreation.
Extensive transformation of the country's docks
President Luis Abinader, while leading LA Semanal this Monday in San Pedro de Macorís, spoke about the transformation of the Dominican Port System and declared that never before had such a broad process of change been initiated in the country's docks, which he assured would positively energize the entire nation.
He argued that all this work on the docks will open the doors of the Dominican Republic to the sea.
Cruise tourism
Regarding this issue, he stated that the projection for the end of the year is 2 million cruise passengers and added that 1,325,442 cruise passengers have arrived in the country, which is equivalent to 132,544,000 dollars.
Exports
In this regard, he stated that there were USD 8,033 million in exports during 2022, after specifying that a total of 64.84% of the total exported was by sea.
He also stated that the current import value was $27,908,000. This means that 89.89% of imported goods were received through the port system.
Regarding this aspect, he noted that Apordom inaugurated and expanded the Taino Bay in Puerto Plata, which will be ready in February, and inaugurated the cruise terminal in La Romana.
He also started construction of the Samaná Bayport, while carrying out the refurbishment of docks 1 and 2 in Barahona, for the reception of cruise ships.
Similarly, he broke ground on Port Cabo Rojo.
Construction and rehabilitation of fishing, tourist and sports docks
The president announced that there are 14 docks to be inaugurated, which will benefit 15,000 fishermen.
These include the fishing pier in Puerto Plata, the fishing and sailing pier in Luperón, the public pier in Samaná, the one in Sánchez, Boca de Yuma in Higüey, Cañitas in Hato Mayor, and the fishing pier in Boca Chica.
Refurbishment of cargo terminals
He indicated that a rehabilitation and expansion program is underway for the Port of Manzanillo and its connecting roads. Also included are the renovations of Pier 3 in Barahona and the Port of Haina.
Apordom's institutional achievements
The head of state reported that the Dominican Port Authority achieved a 586% increase in its cooperative's membership. "In 2020 there were only 79 members, while in 2023 there were already 542.".
He explained that they currently have an account of 7,300,000 pesos, while in 2020 the account was only 5,505 pesos.
Source: Hoy newspaper/Presidency of the Republic
