MADRID. It might seem like a contradiction: going to an event in which a new face of Dominican tourism will be presented, embodied in a town called Miches, and doing so in the spaces of a social club founded in 1836 and which is actually a palace of architectural beauty and artistic, in which the view cannot be tired of enjoying, its neo-republican architecture, its paintings and its sculptures, to only mention a part of its seductive attractions.
The forecasts of 'Tourism about Miches is definitive' indicate that in the coming years the impressive case of natural beauty will be receiving 230 thousand tourists, generating 16 thousand jobs for 16 thousand people and contributing 501 million dollars per year to the country.
It is always a pleasure to return to the Real Casino of Madrid, located on Alcalá Street # 15 and founded in 1836 as a private social club serving the highest social class of its time. (and from now).
Due to its elegant atmosphere and service, it is one of the preferred spaces for the presentation of large Dominican tourism projects. In 2023, the characteristics of Punta Bergantín were announced here, a mega project that has already begun its journey.
In this Casino Madrid, as its name is usually abbreviated, and being as it is a true museum of art and architecture with impressive details wherever you look, the presentation of the progress of the hotel projects that are being built in Miches took place ( some already with an opening date and all with daily work that is being done at the moment).
But this time, it was not just a presentation of wishes and aspirations, as was the case with the first presentation of 2023 by the pleasantly expressive architect Jackeline Mora, Vice Minister of Tourism, as on the previous occasion, to say what the new Miches destination would be like.
This time the socioeconomic realities of the region were presented as a result of a study arranged by Tourism (the ministry) to have an exact idea of the situation of the community, its productivity (especially agricultural), its level of employment and other fundamental details. originated in the criterion of knowing how to act so that the hotel industry is part of sustainable development.
Prior to the presentation of these data and studies, the protocol part was developed: the Minister of Tourism spoke thanking all the Spanish businessmen for their presence and continued Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary general of the World Tourism Organization, ratified his faith in Dominican tourism and its demonstrated drive since the time of the pandemic, when it was the first country in the world to open its tourism, until today when it continues to reach record levels of visitors.
Then the architect Mora spoke, presenting the socioeconomic and productive x-ray of the Miches-El Seybo area, detailing its suitable conditions for investment. The work was titled Miches: A new anchor for Development.
In summary, he explained that in Miches: there is 80% informality in work; 70% job unemployment; 90% of households have access to electricity; Less than 10% of families have access to cyberspace.
El Seybo, to which the municipality of Miches, Mora belongs, said that: it has a population of 99,169 people, with 70% of poverty, 38,374 employed people with average income of 31,158 pesos and 75.% of its economic activities are on trade.
Investor Panel
Then the dish of honey arrived; the panel Miches: Investment Realities, to present the hotel and real estate profiles by three of the investors who are already building (some projects almost completed).
The investors in charge of the luxury hotel projects with a sustainable profile say that Miches will not be suburbanized, due to respect for the laws and regulations of population density Press Service.
The projects are designed to be simultaneously luxury tourism, all-inclusive and environmentally sustainable, adjusted to demographic planning that avoids “pockets of misery” around the hotels due to failure to foresee growth and guaranteeing the fundamental services to the communities that they will provide. the labor of the projects. The moderator of the panel was Rafael Caballero, from the Preferente group.
Frank Elías Rainieri, CEO of Punta Cana Group, Hotel and Real Estate Project, with his Zemi hotel, a name based on the Taíno culture, the thematic axis around which the project will revolve and which is already being built, projected to open this year 2024, with an investment of more than US$181 million and in whose financing the Reserve Bank participates.
It is a super-luxury, low-density all-inclusive hotel with 520 rooms in an area that has 800 meters of beach, 380 of them with sea views, and all those remaining on the first floor will have their pool.
Zemí Hotels is being built in Playa Esmeralda Miches, a fishing town, and will generate more than 900 jobs in this municipality. It will occupy a construction area of more than 500,000 square meters.
Salvador Luque, CEO Grupo El Fuerte, who presented the Hyatt Miches Hotel project, which is building Secrets Playa Esmeralda and Dreams Playa Esmeralda. Secrets is aimed at adults, with an intimate and relaxed style, and will have its own lobby, with 8 restaurants specializing in French, Italian, Mediterranean and Dominican cuisine, among others.
In addition, it will have an exclusive lounge for Preferred Club members. Playa Esmeralda-Miches, creating a positive impact, promoting the creation of around 2,000 new jobs, improving the infrastructure of the area, facilitating road communication.
Rafael (Papo) Blanco, Executive President of Viva Wyndham Resorts and Viva Wyndham Miches, said that the project is being installed right now (“work is being done there today,” he said) and is installed on more than 2,000,000 square meters and a front of 600 linear meter beach.
The total investment is US$ 400 million. It will have more than 1,000 rooms distributed between the Secrets Playa Esmeralda hotel and the Dreams Playa Esmeralda hotel.
The project will be operated under the banner of AM Resorts, from the Hyatt company, the same company that just opened a few months ago the very elegant Hyatt Hotel, on Abraham Lincoln Avenue in the Dominican capital.
He said that, of the 1,000 accommodation spaces, 750 will be rooms and suites and the other 250 are exclusive spaces that will be aimed at Preferred Club guests (World of Hyatt members).
He said that this Viva Miches hotel is scheduled to open on September 11, 2024, and that this summer the company projects an occupancy of 97%, which exceeds the results of 2022.
The project, said Papo Blanco, is based on environmental sustainability and customer experiences, in a harmonious environment focused on the orange economy, causing the guest to feel completely immersed in the culture, colors and flavors of the country.
The second phase of this project with 250 rooms is planned within a period of five years, with an offer for adults and exclusive services. William R. Phelan, CEO of Tropicalia, presented the Four Season, a real estate development conceived by the company Cisneros Real Estate, which should open in early 2026 and represents an investment of more than 200 million dollars.
The property will include a 95-room resort and 25 three- and four-bedroom private residences, located just steps from the beach.