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In this week’s edition of “This week in the Dominican Republic” we learn about booming tourism in Santo Domingo, increased road tolls, Dominicans in Major League Baseball and sky-rocketing gold exports.
More hotels, more tourism in Santo Domingo
Thanks to extended “tax breaks” now applicable to the entire Dominican Republic, rather than certain areas, joint ventures with foreign groups have been motivated to build 8 new hotels in Santo Domingo.
One hotel being built is the Intercontinental hotel, which will be located on Churchill Av., and will cost US$85 million to build.
Meanwhile what is considered as Santo Domingo’s “tourism district” continues to expand out from the Colonial Zone and now includes the Malecon along the Caribbean sea in the south, as well as Churchill Av. in the west, Kennedy Av. in the north and Máximo Gómez Av to the east. This growing “tourism district” will continue to incentivise more and more foreign investments.
While many tourists continue to visit from the United States of America, visitors from Germany and other European countries have driven this increased demand for hotel rooms, with tour operators reporting that they have had to essentially halt sales due to lack of availability.
Santo Domingo toll increases
The Dominican Ministry of Public Works has just announced that the tolls at all 4 of Santo Domingo’s toll plazas (Las Americas, Duarte, 6 de Noviembre and Sanchez highways) will soon be increased by at least RD$50. Although it has not been announced when this increase will take place, tolls are set to be increased to over RD$100.
This increase will affect motorists travelling to and from Casa de Campo / La Romana, who currently pay RD$30 to leave Santo Domingo on the Las Americas highway.
Dominicans set to open for the Pittsburg Pirates
It looks likely that the 3 Dominican pitchers; Francisco Liriano, Edinson Vólquez and Wandy Rodríguez, will be included in the opener rotation for the Pittsburg Pirates. This will mark the first time a Major League Baseball team has had 3 top pitchers born in a country other than the US.
Francisco Liriano has been announced as the pitcher who’ll have the honor as opening day starter.
Lake Enriquillo National Park
The Dominican Academy of Sciences is seeking to add the flooded farmlands surrounding Lake Enriquillo in the south-west of the Dominican Republic to the Lake Enriquillo National Park in order to preserve this protected area which is unique to the Caribbean.
The purpose would be to prevent people relocated by the flooding returning to the same area. President Danilo Medina recently announced that 8 government projects in the area of Lake Enriquillo are 80% completed, these projects will provide new homes and farmlands to these same people relocated by the flooding.
Dramatic increase in gold exports
The Dominican Republic has now become the sixth-largest Latin American exporter to Canada, and Canada’s seventh-largest trade partner in Latin America, according to a Latinvex analysis of data from Statistics Canada.
This increase is largely due to a dramatic jump in gold exports by Barrick Gold from the Pueblo Viejo mine, operated by Barrick Gold and owned (60%) by Barrick Gold and Goldcorp (40%). Gold output at the mine has increased from just 67,000 ounces in 2012 to 488,000 ounces in 2013, and this year the output is expected to skyrocket to up to 700,000 ounces.
The $4 billion Pueblo Viejo mine is the largest foreign direct investment in the Dominican Republic.