DR1: Tourism Minister Rejects Competitiveness Plan

Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez is standing by the Tourism Strategic Plan he released at the end of his first term from 1996-2000. The study was carried out in 1999-2000 with the support of the Andalucian regional government, but was discarded by his successor, Rafael Subervi (2000-2004). A year and a half since his return to government, Jimenez feels the study is still current because it was a 10-year plan. He rejected the agreement reached at the Competitiveness Forum held in Punta Cana, which calls for a competitiveness plan that would encompass the new trends and new technologies. He distanced himself from the Declaration of Punta Cana agreed upon during the event.

"I informed the President, the hoteliers and the international speakers who took part in the event about this study," he stressed. He insisted that the plan that was developed in his first administration and released pr! ior to his leaving the post encompassed 10-year development, and was part of a consensus between the public and private sectors. "The Ministry of Tourism understands that this strategic tourism development plan should be revised and updated," he said. He added that the Ministry is currently engaged in an internal three-day seminar to determine which aspects they need to work on to bring the strategic plan up to date, as it was prepared for the 2000-2010 period. He said that the Ministry of Tourism under his direction again has been following the recommendations that are part of the 1999 research.

As reported in Hoy newspaper, he rejected the role of the National Competitiveness Council and insisted that the law specifies that only the Ministry of Tourism has the responsibility and authority to implement a tourism development plan and establish tourism development policy in the country.

"While I am Minister of Tourism, they have to respect this Ministry and if there ! are people in the private sector who understand that the present gover nment and this ministry do not deserve respect, then I wish them a good trip," he stated in the press conference. Jimenez was openly critical to the president of the National Association of Hotels & Restaurants, Enrique de Marchena, for his role in supporting the drawing up of a competitiveness plan.

Clave Digital interviewed Enrique de Marchena, who responded: "Asonahores backs the Declaration of Punta Cana since it is the result of an international event held in the presence of President Leonel Fernandez and the minister of tourism, and its only purpose was to establish the base for development and competitiveness of our industry into the next ten years. National and international guest speakers of the highest level were also present at the event that was backed by the National Competitiveness Council that is presided by President Fernandez, himself," said De Marchena.

During the Forum, international speakers presented the new, constantly changing trends in tourism! that focus on sustainable development of the industry and the need for the Dominican Republic to align itself with these and take advantage of the new technologies. During the event, President Leonel Fernandez, in the presence of Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez, endorsed the work being carried out by the National Competitiveness Council and approved the implementation of a National Competitiveness Plan for Tourism that would serve as a framework for these objectives. See the Declaration of Punta Cana that summarized several of the points addressed during the forum.
http://dr1.com/news/2005/111205_puntacanadeclaration.shtml

World tourism experts speaking in the presence of the President and the Tourism Minister were Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization; Peter Yesawich, chairman of Yesawich, Peppe! rdine, Brown & Russell (YPB&R), America's leading travel marketing and advertising agency; Matt McNulty, former minister of tourism of Ireland, and Rene Villareal, a world competitiveness expert from Mexico. During the morning session that was not attended by the minister of tourism, speakers were Augusto Huescar, head of market intelligence and promotion at the United Nations World Tourism Organization; German Porras, former Spanish tourism minister; and Ruben Dario Rodriguez, advisor to the Mexican Ministry of Infrastructure, Communication and Transport. The president of the Caribbean Hotel Association, Berthia Parle, and Alec Sanguinetti, director general of CHA also attended and spoke during the event.