The Spanish hotel sector accounts for almost 45% of the rooms built in the Dominican Republic and generates around 43,000 direct jobs and carries out social contribution programs whose amounts exceed US$2.5 million per year.
Taken from Diario Libre
The 16 Spanish hotel chains grouped in Inverotel will execute a plan of new investments in the Dominican Republic with an initial value of more than US$580 million until 2024.
The owners of eight of them communicated this to the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, and the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, during a private lunch, the tourism ministry reported in a press release.
The meeting, held at the Casas del XVI hotel in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo, was attended by Carmen Riu, CEO of Riu Hotels; Gabriel Escarrer, Vice President of Meliá Hotels International; Miguel Fluxa, President of Grupo Iberostar; Abel Matutes Prats, President of Palladium; Carles Poy, CEO of Princess Hotels & Resorts; Manuel Vallet, Vice President of Catalonia Hotels & Resorts; Javier Luque, General Manager and Advisor of Fuerte Group Hotels; and Encarna Piñero, CEO of Grupo Piñero and President of Inverotel.
The new investment represents a significant boost for the Dominican Republic as a tourist destination from a group of hotel companies that currently has 72 hotels in the country, representing almost 45% of the rooms built, generating around 43,000 direct jobs and carrying out social contribution programs whose amounts exceed US$2.5 million per year.
President Abinader thanked the Spanish families for believing in the country and invited them to continue investing in this destination, telling them "that the best years are yet to come.".
Minister Collado expressed his gratitude for the trust placed in the country and the current authorities to continue developing tourism. “The Tourism Cabinet guarantees that we will continue to provide you with all the support to work together, facilitating your investments to further enhance our destination and our country brand,” he said.
For this investment effort to achieve its objectives, the hoteliers present emphasized the importance of the Government's work in implementing plans that boost the sector's competitiveness.
Encarna Piñero highlighted several priority areas: citizen security, energy and water infrastructure, healthcare facilities and taxation, and competition regulations. “We are facing a great opportunity for everyone; we must act responsibly to take advantage of it,” stated the CEO of Grupo Piñero and president of Inverotel.
Spanish hoteliers recognized the Dominican government for being the country that has best managed the pandemic in terms of tourism among those in which they invest, and expressed their gratitude for the authorities' close collaboration with the private sector to continue improving the destination
