Background – The Dominican Republic is known as a top Caribbean vacation destination, for its sugar and rum production, and, more recently, as Haiti’s neighbor. This island nation is also a major economic player with the largest gross domestic product in Central America and somewhat fluctuating yet sustained economic growth since 2002. The downside of this success is a dramatically widening gap between rich and poor. People who are not part of one of the growing sectors in the Dominican Republic (tourism, financial services, agriculture, and mining), benefit little from the country‘s economic success.   The majority of the population is engaged in farming and they are particularly likely to suffer from poverty. The environment has also suffered through the growth of the tourism sector and economic progress in general. Yet, tourism also has the potential to increase the income of the poor while protecting natural resources.

Project – The half island Samaná in the north and the small city of Boca Chica on the south coast of the Dominican Republic are two well-developed vacation destinations. At these two locations, Swisscontact has supported socially and ecologically sustainable tourism since 2010 with a project that advises and trains management and employees in hotels.   Modern methods of working with water, energy, and waste disposal make up the core of training. The most committed hotel owners work with Swisscontact to install and manage new solar water heaters. Another important aspect of the project is social and economic development around the hotels: the project officers and their partners help to inspire hotel managers to buy ingredients locally instead of using imported products. Fair hiring and employment conditions are an additional goal of the project that is also achieved through advising and training. More and more tourists are looking for hotels that are run in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Developing in this direction will pay off for local businesses and hotels. And when poverty also sinks in the surrounding area, they will be even more attractive to potential visitors.