Enrique De Marchena Kaluche, managing partner of DMK Abogados, past president of ASONAHORES, Rafael Blanca Tejera 1st vice president of ASONAHORES, Paola Rainieri de Díaz, president of ASONAHORES and the Minister of Tourism, David Collado.
Enrique De Marchena Kaluche participated yesterday in the meeting held by the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, with the president of ASONAHORES Paola Rainieri de Diaz, the executive vice president Andrés Marranzini Grullon and the board of directors and past presidents of the National Association of Hotels and Tourism (ASONAHORES). The details and progress on the Responsible Tourism Recovery Plan for COVID-19 were analyzed. This plan seeks to minimize the effects of the pandemic and promote a responsible recovery that prioritizes health, maximizes the potential for job creation and economic growth, and encourages the sector to continue developing in a sustainable way.
The Minister of Tourism, David Collado made a presentation of the statistics of the tourism sector in the country, seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, in which he indicated that the tourism sector represents 22% of the GDP of the Dominican Republic and that the economic burden left by the pandemic has meant the loss of income to date worth 2,500 million dollars, the loss of 150 thousand jobs, with only 54,000 tourists arriving in the country in July 2020 against the 450,000 arriving in July 2019. He also pointed out that the occupancy rate in the country is 5%.
Minister Collado affirmed that from now on, the Tourism Development Council (CONFOTUR) will only approve tourism projects that qualify under the framework of the law and its modifications.
De Marchena Kaluche intervened to congratulate the Minister and the new government for the comprehensive measures they have adopted to relaunch the country’s tourism sector. He also indicated that he congratulated him on what he understands will be a correct application of the spirit and the letter of the law. He said that on past occasions he has opposed the approval of tax incentives for real estate projects that do not have a hotel component or complementary offers, such as a golf course or a marina. “Granting tax incentives for 15 years to projects that simply acquire real estate and then sell them, supposes a loss for the State, which stops receiving the real estate transfer tax and the property tax. That is simply nonsense, as it is to approve tourism projects that are not contemplated within the framework of the law ”, indicated De Marchena.
Finally, De Marchena Kaluche requested that any intervention that the Government is going to carry out in the Province of Puerto Plata be comprehensive and carried out from Maimón to Cabarete. he expressed concern about the situation that carries the beaches of Sosúa and Cabarete, where there has been no adequate and sustainable ordering or preservation of them.
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