In a planned manner, taking the necessary precautions to ensure that its tourism development has all the services required for a destination that is projected as pure luxury, a group of businessmen described the projection of what would be the new Miches, a municipality of El Seibo, located in the northeast of the Dominican Republic.
In its first phase, the tourist hub will have 2,500 hotel rooms. At a breakfast hosted by the Ministry of Tourism yesterday during the International Tourism Fair (Fitur), Minister David Collado mentioned the 500 rooms that Frank Elías Rainieri will inaugurate in October from Zemí Hotels; the 500 rooms being built by Rafael Blanco and scheduled to open on December 11; and another 1,000 rooms from the Hyatt Group.
These hotel rooms, explained Vice Minister Jacqueline Mora, will translate into 229,500 tourists annually, while the construction of the projects is already generating 16,600 jobs. In addition, the investment phase is impacting the annual GDP by US$500 million, generating US$206 million in net foreign exchange earnings, and US$68 million in taxes.
During the event, held at the Casino de Madrid, a panel discussion took place in which the first investors in the destination highlighted the advantages of Miches and explained to the businesspeople present why they believe Miches is a safe bet.
Moderated by Rafael Caballero, president of Grupo Preferente, the event featured the participation of businessmen Rafael Blanco, president of Wyndham Resorts; Salvador Luque, CEO of Grupo El Fuerte, which is building the Hyatt Miches; and Frank Elías Rainieri, president and CEO of Grupo Puntacana, who explained why they decided to invest in Miches but also talked about the conditions that must be taken into account to build a dream enclave of total luxury.
Among the needs they cited were the construction of housing for employees, schools, hospitals, and roads to improve connectivity with Santo Domingo and Punta Cana. They also requested a technical school to train staff, a center that Collado promised to build and which will be made possible thanks to land donated by George Nader at the time.
Rafael Blanco understands that government authorities, with the support of the private sector, must guarantee the conditions that Miches will need to meet the demand for services due to the displacement of people caused by the development of tourism.
Luque, from the Maralda Group, believes that the Government should facilitate a better road connection between Miches and El Seibo.
Rainieri proposed that the Ministry of Tourism set up a training center for the staff who will be needed for the new hotel facilities being built in the area.
The infrastructure will be built by the Ministry of Tourism on land donated by businessman George Nader.
The president of the Punta Cana Group, Frank Elías Rainieri, announced that the conglomerate will begin construction on two hotels by the end of the year. The land has already been acquired, and the necessary permits are being obtained.
The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, considered the development of tourism in Miches a priority for the State.
He reported that the Government is working on the construction of an aqueduct and a treatment plant for the management of solid waste in that municipality in the eastern region.
He said that the government, through the Ministry of Tourism, has promised to prepare a territorial development plan in Miches to ensure that the progress of the industry materializes in an orderly and organized manner.
“For the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Cabinet, Miches is a pampered child that we are going to take care of and organize,” the official said.
He stated that taking advantage of the natural beauty of Miches is not a project, as it was a year ago, but is now a reality.
The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvi, expressed his confidence that this year the country will be able to continue the growth and dynamism achieved in 2023.
Sources: Today and El Día.
