The president of the Board of Directors of Cap Cana, Fernando Hazoury, is clear that the Dominican Republic has political, economic and social stability that is the basis of everything. The State has provided vital support to tourism during the last 50 years, including incentives, from 2000 to date.
Incentives should be maintained and not eliminated, according to Hazoury. “If that is not maintained as it is, it should be modified and maintained at a large percentage. Things are not working out automatically because we are nice and because there is economic and political stability, nor because we have nice beaches. There are other countries that have beautiful beaches, good inhabitants who provide good service, and they are countries with economic and political stability, and they are not the leaders of the Caribbean, as we practically are.”
“Only Mexico is ahead of us, but Mexico has 80 years of tourism. We are getting closer and at some point we are going to tie them and maybe at some point we will surpass them,” she said.
Having large investors and large chains investing in the Dominican Republic is not a coincidence, but is part of the incentives that are supporting tourism, Hazoury explained.
He calculated that last year the Dominican country had around 16,000 million dollars produced by tourism. “I think that if they are going to make any changes, we must and must the State with all the tourist associations, including Asonahores and ADETI, and with the large tourism investors present, including the large international chains, they must participate in the discussion,” he explained.
The dialogue that Hazoury refers to should include Cap Cana itself, Punta Cana and other business-hotel groups, according to what he told El Caribe in Fitur 2024.
“If a change is going to be made to what is flying perfectly and walking perfectly, either we leave it as it is, or we discuss very well how it is going to be changed, because we can kill the goose that lays the golden eggs,” he warned.
