SANTO DOMINGO. – The new board of directors of the Santo Domingo Hotel Association (AHSD) is clear that the announced Convention Center in the capital must move forward to enrich the offerings for meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) tourism and bolster the city's position as a regional hub.
This was stated by the president of the association, Gina Eli, during the inauguration ceremony of the 2026-2028 Board of Directors, in which the new incumbents outlined a work plan focused on accelerating key projects, boosting demand and strengthening the competitiveness of the destination.
“This is a strategic project for Santo Domingo. Its realization will allow the city to increase its capacity to attract major international events and diversify tourism demand,” Eli said.
Along these lines, the AHSD defined a roadmap based on five pillars: demand generation and connectivity, development of new segments, promotion of quality and sustainability, strengthening of promotion and alliances, and continuity in the institutional agenda.
As part of this plan, the association will prioritize, in addition to boosting the Convention Center, strengthening the MICE segment, attracting sporting and entertainment events, consolidating air connectivity in coordination with actors in the sector, and continuing the strategy linked to cruise tourism.
The president emphasized that the implementation of this agenda will depend on coordination with the public and private sectors, including the Ministry of Tourism, ASONAHORES, the Santo Domingo Tourism Cluster, and other strategic partners.
To feint and not to give
The Santo Domingo Convention Center was initially announced by President Luis Abinader during FITUR 2022, and subsequently relaunched at different times without its execution being finalized to date.
On January 13, 2024, the president announced that the project would be put out to tender “in two months,” after completing its design phase.
Later, on June 12, 2024, the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, announced that the Government would "begin construction" of the project on the grounds of the former Hotel Hispaniola, without setting a specific start date for the works.
The most recent milestone occurred on September 2, 2025, when the Government announced the acquisition of the land of the former Hotel Santo Domingo to develop the project there, already with technical support from IFEMA.
Despite these successive announcements, and even talk of bidding, design and budget availability, the project remains on paper.
The State has committed an estimated investment of $300 million in the land acquisition phase, according to real estate market estimates, but the total cost of the project, including design and construction, has not been officially disclosed, leaving the overall amount of the work still undetermined.
In the previous stage of the project (land of the former Hispaniola), the Ministry of Tourism itself spoke of some RD$1,200 million for acquisition.
The tender, which has been announced on several occasions, even with the tentative date of January 2, 2026, has not been formally published, so the project remains in limbo and has not yet gotten off the ground.
The new leaders
The new Board of Directors is chaired by Gina Eli, with Natanyi Cabrera and Ignacio Peñalver as vice presidents, Yuribell Chez as treasurer, and Leandro Tajes as secretary. Other members include Marta Amengual, Sebastián González, José Hernández, and Víctor Cruz. At the regional level, Iván Cunillera will assume the role of director for Boca Chica-Santo Domingo Este, and Ramón Odalis Guzmán will head the Airport area.
As part of its institutional strengthening efforts, the AHSD will maintain its active working committees, responsible for implementing the association's operational agenda. The Commercial Committee will be led by Yudit García, the Security Committee by Silvanh Riedl, the Human Resources Committee by Carmen Ortiz, and the Food and Beverage Committee by Juan Guerrero, while Francisco Roberto Henríquez will serve as an honorary advisor.
During the event, the association recognized Yudit García for her management at the head of the organization, highlighting her leadership and contributions to positioning Santo Domingo as an urban tourist destination.
“We will work with a shared vision, focused on results, innovation and partnerships, to consolidate a more competitive destination aligned with global tourism trends,” Eli concluded.
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