The representative of the HIM in Dominican Republic, Mauricio Ramirez Villegasadvocated developing a more inclusive tourism that involves the most vulnerable communities and that allows progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (ODS).
“With the objective, and responding to their needs and their development strategy, we have formulated a new cooperation framework for a five-year cycle that starts from the year of this year 2023 until 2027 with the DR,” he said in statements in the Sustainable Tourism Forum held in Punta Cana.
Said program constitutes support to carry out “a much more inclusive, resilient and sustainable development in an island country, highly vulnerable to climate change and with fragilities from the environmental point of view,” he said.
It is about betting on “a much more inclusive tourism model, which includes communities”, which contemplates alternative complementary activities to the traditional model of sun and sand, taking advantage of the natural, cultural and ecological wealth that the country has.
“Mountain tourism, adventure tourism, ecotourism. There are many alternatives, but it must be much more inclusive” than in its current conception of “tourism that is still highly concentrated in wealth, let’s say non-inclusive” because “there are many opportunities to include the most vulnerable people in the country,” said the representative. of the organization.