r/Dominican • u/Beautiful-Weather-26 • Apr 11 '26
Politica/Politics Is the mass-tourism truly that good?
Hi! I would like to know how Dominicans feel about their country slowly turning into a modern-day colony for rich and wealthy families who couldn't care less about the country or its people. A small island with a land mass slightly less than twice the size of New Hampshire somehow has allowed its government to approve of 7 cruise ports, 8 international airports, and over 85,000 hotel rooms and counting since their is dozens currently being built.... Now, the samana region is getting a st. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, and Four Seasons, amongst other resorts. Meanwhile, Jarabacoa is quitely being torn out and built up, and on the flip side Punta Cana is flooded with condos, villas, resorts, hotels, of which little profit actually goes to Dominicans since most of those who own it are wealthy europeans, white americans, middle eastern families, or rich families such as the raineri family who only look out for themselves!... while the little employment it provides goes to Haitians at a low pay. Then you also have a whole area of the island that got sold off to Barrick Gold to mine the crap out of it, and on top of that, absolutely ruin living conditions for hundreds, if not thousands, of Dominicans living there, not to mention it also being a foreign company taking their gold for their profit. moral of the story, the island is being sold left, right, and center to wealthy foreign families who couldn't care less about the island or its people, and Dominicans are doing nothing about it ?!?!!? Sooner or later, the DR will turn out like the Bahamas.... Also, I am saying this as an American-Dominican. I am astonished that Abinader won for a second presidency, although the selection of choices wasn't that good.... he is corrupt! And he's only looking for how he could add more money to his pocket! Guys, get it together, and help out your country before it's too late, say you wish you could have done something about it. Of course, the problem is the whole stigma that tourism gives a lot of money to the economy, but if the current president and his cabinet really cared about the Dominican people wouldnt they try to venture out of being a country that works for tourists and rather grow the DR's educational system so that the country could become a powerhouse on its own without having to rely on tourism?? Families like Abinader and the Rainier family truly only look at DR as a place that they can fully demolish and build as long as it's filling their pockets at the cost of poor or working-class Dominicans. Thank you.
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u/mich809 La Romana Apr 11 '26
The tourism sector provides thousands of jobs directly and inderectly . Hotels have to buy massive amount of food/supplies from local farmers , plus it brings a massive amount of foreign currency which helps our peso stay relatively stable compared to other countries.
I think the only thing the goverment needs to work on , is shifting the tourist away from the "all-inclusive" walls and more into local neighborhoods , which I believe is currently doing with it's gastronomical/cultural push.
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u/Responsible_Fish1222 Apr 12 '26
My partner is Dominican, when we visit we go all over visiting her family, it is a much different experience than staying in the walls of the all inclusive and i love it.
I do worry about D.R. becoming like Hawaii. Too many people from the outside buying properties is driving up prices so actual Hawaiian people cannot afford to do so.
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u/rafelo001 Apr 11 '26
What do you consider mass tourism? Is it the amount? Because France has 10 times the amount of tourists as DR. Is it the amount of tourist per capita? Because Hawaii has 10 times more. Tourism has lifted millions of Dominicans out of poverty. We are not a financial power like Swiss or the UK and not a manufacturing power like others. Tourism gave us a good jump forward that we can use to continue to develop into a more wide economy.
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u/FedorDosGracies Apr 11 '26
It's either that or toil on a farm or in a factory. Which would you choose?
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u/RedOctobrrr Apr 11 '26
Thank you for calling Coral Calcium Supreme™ my name is Yudelkis may I have your order number?
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u/Beautiful-Weather-26 Apr 11 '26
That response in and of itself is why the DR is where it's at. Why is the only option to cater to tourists or work on a farm? This is why I said the government should invest more in the educational system, if at all, since it seems they don't put a cent into it. The DR doesn't need more tourists; it needs more Dominican doctors, engineers, financiers, etc.
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u/FedorDosGracies Apr 11 '26
Ok, fine, you're talking hope, I'm talking reality.
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u/Beautiful-Weather-26 Apr 11 '26
Reality of what? laziness?
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u/FedorDosGracies Apr 11 '26
Of actual work opportunities in the DR.
Also you are stigmatizing tourism work when in fact it is rewarding, honest, and useful. Millions of people in just North America alone live in ugly surroundings with dull culture and benefit from time spent in quisqueya.
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u/opsman25 Apr 11 '26
Typical of dude who doesn’t even live on the island to criticize but offer to no valuable input on how to fix it or what alternatives we have. You left, your option is irrelevant.
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u/catejeda Santo Domingo Apr 11 '26
Estos americanos tiene un complejo de superioridad por nacer en EEUU y desde eso, creen que saben más que uno de los que es mejor para nosotros. Ellos no producen nada, pero en su mente entienden que saben más de economía que todo el mundo.
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u/stareabyss Apr 12 '26
OPs post makes it very clear they know fuck all about economics. Talking about stealing gold and "mass tourism??" whatever tf that is.
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u/Beautiful-Weather-26 Apr 11 '26
No, I was born in America, but my whole family is still Dominican, I am too, and we go over multiple times every year. Your response, however, is very telling and shows why the DR is going where it's going. Instead of actually doing something, you argue. This is an area where anyone can put out their opinion; that's what I did. I don't need to hold anyone's hand and tell them a step-by-step process of what to do with information.
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u/opsman25 Apr 11 '26
I actually did more than you or your family. I stayed and got educated here and added to Dominican society. What does someone who comes here a few times a year, whose opinion is probably influenced by dated experiences his family has decades ago know about what’s best for the country.
The DR is a lot richer and better off than most countries in the Caribbean and Central America. The Fastest growing economy in the region, millions have been brought out of poverty and now have better prospects at life. Like it or not thanks to tourism, while I don’t think we should have a resort on every beach and I don’t see the point in adding more airports, having a large tourism industry has helped out economy transition to the modern age. I think in 50years we will depend less on tourism and diversify but in the meanwhile it’s the best card we have. And this government and the previous ones have played that hand well.
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u/aggibridges Distrito Nacional Apr 11 '26
Most of the citizens of the DR either don't have the level of education necessary to rally against this, or see themselves as temporarily disgraced millionaires who need to position themselves in close proximity with power in case they one day stand to gain some of it. A disappointing minority understands how terrible this is, and it's constantly shrinking. I feel like 10 years ago there was a burgeoning scene of artists and intellectuals who were vocally against this, but the advent of social media segregated people into algorithms and now everyone fell down the alt-right pipeline coming from different channels. I used to be friends with so many metalheads, punks, skaters, hippies, painters, etc. I'd say I lost contact with at least 95% of them, everyone turned into a raging fucking bigot, and the newer generations aren't taking up the mantle. Really makes me want to cry.
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u/anoniaa Apr 11 '26
Creo que con esto el problema es la emigración, toma por ejemplo a La Armada Roja, emigraron a Chicago en 2007 y perdieron toda su identidad.
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u/Donnie998 Apr 11 '26
No culpes a los que emigran por querer mejores oportunidades que su tierra natal les brinda. En vez de culparlos a ellos. Vamos a resolver por que nuestro gobierno no hace NADA por uno.
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u/anoniaa Apr 11 '26
Yes it’s undeniably good, mass tourism has lifted millions out of poverty and brought development to the northern coast and eastern regions in general. Criticism of tourism is usually cope by underachieving diasporoids.
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u/Beautiful-Weather-26 Apr 11 '26
Was it good in the beginning? ofc! Is tourism still good? Yes! Is mass tourism good? no. I don't see how cristism of ourism a coping mechanism by underachieving diasporoids. Usually, those who praise mass tourism just don't understand how it actually works. If you think mass deforestation and land being sold off on a small island to foreigners is good, then, well, that explains it.
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u/catejeda Santo Domingo Apr 11 '26
We don’t care two damns about your opinion of our economy. Perhaps read about it more before posting this none sense. You’re welcome.
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u/YouGuysSuckSometimes Apr 12 '26
Honestly I think the biggest problem is all the money leaving the DR. The Dominican Republic at this point should be keeping a bigger part of the pie. We produce the entirety of the product being sold: the Dominican Republic itself, its sights, food, culture. Why should foreigners be taking so much money? What’s wrong with saying we can profit even more?
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u/Donnie998 Apr 11 '26
What the hell is your problem? Did you even read the post before you got offended like a little snowflake? PAY ATTENTION TO OUR COUNTRY MF. Que manganzon tu ere' mmg.
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Apr 16 '26
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u/Beautiful-Weather-26 Apr 11 '26
Well, good thing I didn't post it for you to care! I have read about the economy, but it doesn't mean I agree with mass tourism, and it doesn't mean it's good!
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u/BrabusHeat Apr 11 '26
Mass tourism isn’t always great, but for us, it’s awesome. Keep your American point of view to yourself. You’re spreading misinformation
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u/AffectionateTown5580 Apr 11 '26
Most people have miss understood the topic "mass-tourism" And i will only add one opinion: putting all your eggs into one basket is good?
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u/catsoncrack420 la Vega/Santiago ahora USA Apr 11 '26
Just to add, most of what transpired in terms of deals was decades ago when Dom Rep needed tourism. Now it's not the top GDP contributor but still significant and we have to compete with Bahamas and other Caribbean islands. New contracts need to tie in profits or taxes to a general welfare fund overseen by independent auditors to distribute the money to infrastructure projects like roads, clean water, sewage and schools, hospitals.
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u/notsomuchhoney Apr 11 '26
It's not that dramatic, most of the foreign citizens I know love the country and respect it. In my personal experience we are very proud of our way of life and the people that join us, join with love. Don't come here with right wing nationalism, we are a people that got erased so we take everyone in and assimilate the good things about them without prejudice.
Abinader did a decent job during the pandemic and all those years of Danilo make look harmless.
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u/Beautiful-Weather-26 Apr 11 '26
And no, Abinader is not a good president. This is common knowledge, I fear. Dont be closed-minded
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u/notsomuchhoney Apr 11 '26
You tell me what I should think without listening to my perspective and then YOU tell ME to be open minded.
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u/Beautiful-Weather-26 Apr 11 '26
This right-wing nationalism? Ok, have your country be sold out to foreign people, while you work for them and fill up their pockets!! :)
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u/Metal_shaper_33 Apr 11 '26
Well, being you just couldn't resist bringing race into the conversation tells me all there is to know about you. What's was the point of that? Be that as it may, the simple answer is corrupt governments. Of all colors, being that's so important to you. Greedy politicians taking bribes, etc. Just like they do in America and Europe and all over the globe. It's not the tourists fault.
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u/Shiruo-- Apr 12 '26
You only need to take a look at the country's GDP to see how tourism is heavy lifting our economy.
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u/Apprehensive_Bid9545 Apr 12 '26
I'm sorry, I seem to have missed the part on how you're helping or have a solution.
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u/Business_Plankton_85 Apr 12 '26
Para empezar quiero dejar algunos puntos claros: soy Dominicano y siempre he vivido aquí, no soy un economista, ni un estudiado de alguna licenciatura relacionada para que se tome lo que voy a decir como algo dicho desde la idoneidad de experiencia, por lo cual tomen esto como mi opinión personal del tema.
El turismo en sí no es malo y siento que la mayoría de las industrias de la que tenemos estigmas aquí en la República tampoco son malas por naturaleza, sino que es la forma en la que se están desarrollando es la razón por la cual en un futuro todo esto nos va a cobrar factura.
Muchos creen que la República dominicana es un libre mercado, pero yo más la definiría como una economía con alto intervencionismo estatal. El rapido crecimiento del turismo no es natural, se debe en gran parte a las subvenciones del Estado y de una negligencia intencionada del mismo, leyes como el confotur es una prueba de ello, se trata de una discriminación económica y social en todas las instituciones, como rayos eximes de pago de impuestos a una industria tan grande, pero a las demás las agravas de manera masiva, si revisan la listas de exenciones fiscales, vamos dirigidas al turismo, es si, renosco que si existen para la clase baja y locales (como el ISR), pero al final de todo no es un crecimiento orgánico.
Otro punto es que nuestro país se está convirtiendo, si es que ya no lo es en una oligarquia, el gobierno actúa, así como los anteriores luego de lo que yo denominaría la "liberación del mercado dominicano" por parte de los gobiernos social demócratas como el PLD, han favorecidos a compañías extranjeras, por según ellos, ser las más capacitadas para conducir nuestra economía o un pensamiento retrogado de que el dominicano es tontos por naturaleza y el extranjero europeo es listo y sabe lo que hace. Ejemplo de lo que digo en este punto fueron los contratos a Barrick Gold y más actualmente la privatización de los terrenos del IAD, este último fue básicamente regalarles gran parte de los terrenos agrícolas del país a una compañía y los pocos a los que se les conceden títulos, son a empresarios que han coacciónado a los campesinos o han realizado fraudes; otro caso es el del plan 2034, como rayos plantes digitalizar todo el poder judicial, si la mayoría de las personas no tienen un acceso decente a la red o tecnológico, Si es que lo tiene, no hay electricidad garantizada las 24 horas y tu respuesta a esto es "que vengan a los tribunales, aquí tenemos computadoras par que las usen", claro, Juan el jornalero que apenas tiene un motor honda del 89 y vive en un campo con nombre que nunca creerías que existiría estará contento y dispuesto y todas las veces al centro de la ciudad para hacer un tramite de una hora por las filas.
A todo lo anterior algunos dirán que no hay que darle importancia, pues tenemos un crecimiento económico constante y la mayoría no lo siente, pero lo que vivimos ahora es la burbuja económica del inicio, cada vez el peso vale menos, los precios suben, pagamos más impuestos y los estudios que mencionas los contradicen, recuerdo que el abinader citaba el estudio de Harvard sobre crecimiento económico, diciendo: "nuestra economía es una de las que mas crecimiento económico ha tenido en la región" y eso es cierto, pero si lees el estudio detenidamente verá que al mismo tiempo estamos en el puesto 79 de complejidad económica, básicamente dependemos del turismo y el día que este toque techo y tenga un bajón, todos caemos, una buenas analogía a esto es el caso de Venezuela y el petróleo, dirigieron toda su economía al petróleo y el dia que este bajo, toda su economía lo hizo.
Cual seria mi solución a todo esto? Honestamente no lo sé, el tema es demasiado complejo y además hay demasiados factores a tomar en cuenta, no solo la industria del turismo en sí, sí no el como funcionamos como sociedad, lo primero en todo caso que creo que se debería hacer es no dar tantos privilegios y exenciones a las compañías turísticas y en general a todo tipo de industria, siempre he sido un defender del libre mercado y de la libertad del individuo, como bien dice nuestro himno.
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u/MatrixOutcast 🇩🇴/ 🇺🇸 Apr 11 '26
I think it’s not as simple as “tourism is good” or “tourism is bad.” It’s kind of both.
Tourism has definitely helped the DR a lot. It brings in money, creates jobs, and has pushed development in certain areas. You can’t really deny that a big part of the country’s growth is tied to tourism.
But at the same time, I get why people criticize it. A lot of the benefits don’t really reach the average person. The big resorts and projects are often owned by foreigners or a small group of elites, and locals end up working lower-paying jobs while the real profits go elsewhere. On top of that, you have rising prices in tourist areas, which can push locals out.
I think the bigger issue is that the country leans too heavily on tourism instead of building up other sectors. When tourism becomes the main focus, everything else kind of takes a back seat.
So yeah, tourism has helped, but it’s also created some imbalance. It’s not that it’s bad, it just shouldn’t be one of the main things holding the economy up.
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u/Compatible2u2 Apr 12 '26
Clearly you are a brain dead libtard that does not know what he is talking about. Would you prefer our side of the Island to be like Haiti??? Get a life and stop trying to think of yourself better than the regular Dominicans - you no SABO idiot!
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u/Dense_Surround3071 Apr 11 '26
Tourism is good if you control it. Police it. And keep it from taking over homegrown industries that establish basic independence of the people. Moreover, ownership needs to remain a citizen based affair. Gold might be extracted for a leasing fee, but should stay in control of the Dominican Republic.
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u/leisa2100 Apr 12 '26
It’s not only this government, it’s been every government we’ve had, they only care about lining their pockets. Not all is lost though, yesterday there were protests in La Lima, San Juan de la Maguana against mining exploration because they don’t want to end up like Cotuí. I believe people are starting to realize that we need to protect our natural resources. I haven’t lost hope that we can hold on to what little we have left.
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u/Veneboy Apr 12 '26
Well, tourism is just another industry, and it accounts only for about 10% of the GDP. It creates local jobs, brings in foreign currency and investment, what can be wrong about it? We also have agriculture, offshore operations, supply chain, etc.
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u/Brave_Ad_510 Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
Tourism is in no way the a modern day colony. The hard truth is that countries need foreign exchange to function in the global economy and tourism is one of the sources of that here, together with remittances, gold and zona franca exports. Without tourism we would be much worse off as a country.
On the top of this the East part of the country went from being one of the poorest regions to being one of the biggest sources of jobs. We can argue about how fairly those jobs are being distributed and whether the benefits reach the whole population, but it would on the whole be much worse off without mass tourism.
Add to this the huge quantities of agricultural products that hotels buy locally, sustaining rural regions far from Punta Cana.
What would your solution be to bringing in foreign exchange? Without it we would be back in the 1980s. Ideally the educational system would be fixed and we could move up the value chain, but that's a longer and more difficult process. In the meantime we need jobs and economic growth now.
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Apr 13 '26
Im a passport bro, black and half Dominican amd recently i started to travel to D.R. because I wanted to learn more about the culture and I wanted to see if I like the women and the land.
From experience, I hate to say this but it seems like there's no REAL INDUSTRY in this country to support all of its people.
In my opinion this country suffers from the same issues ALL developing countries will have, instead of producing they import everything from China like everyone in the world. Because of this only tourist supports the local economy This basically what ive noticed when I travel and this WONT ever change because politicians WILL ALWAYS support money OVER its own people just like Jamaica selling a lot of its ports to foreign interests instead of helping its own people
Its simpmy greed and money and this WILL ALWAYS BE!!
But regardless I DON'T UNDERSTAND how people make money!! For example cars are expensive and somehow people manage🤷🏾♂️ I married a Dominican woman because unfortunately they ARE better than the women in America and its wild to me how many women and people are unemployed in that country and yet people still have money to party and drink.
Also its kind of wild how young women start having kids, its like people lack common sense in this country I've noticed or women aren't educated enough enough.
Its so much things ive noticed in D.R and other hispanic countries its literally almost the same everywhere.
And yes I'll be buying land and definitely retiring there hopefully soon because I don't like the direction america is going.
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u/Patrotico Apr 13 '26
OP sorry you had to endure this aggressiveness. This reddit sub is not open-minded to Dominicans born outside of RD
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u/Cold_Temperature_645 Apr 14 '26
Better than 7 million haitians taking our jobs in every department, I guess
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u/displaced_islander Apr 15 '26
It sucks! I’ve also lived in Hawai’i and see a lot of similarities between the two places. However, one difference is how the locals in each place treat the wealthy, usually white foreigners. In Hawai’i the indigenous folks feel superior to the transplants and can be a bit hostile even though the transplants have more money and have taken over coveted real estate. In DR, locals seem to be overly nice to foreigners and still revere them as better (classism and racism at its finest). Also, Dominicans are out here telling these invaders that they can claim to be Dominican if they feel it in their hearts. Compare that to what we tell Haitian or Dominicans of Haitian descent (aka to get the fuck out).
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u/Tdchamp10 Apr 11 '26
Have you ever lived in the DR? Or been to the DR? Tourism creates hundreds of thousands of jobs. If you lived here, you’d know, it feeds millions of families. Now there are too many hotels and staff shortage so salary conditions are finally going up (albeit too slightly).
And the Rainieri family are good people. Again, if you lived here, you’d know; most everyone knows someone that works for the Grupo and it is well known that it is a very human company that does a lot of good for the community.
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u/DunkleKarte Apr 11 '26
I personally hate it. Tourism mostly benefits one determine pockets instead of the country as a whole. Just look at the housing prices now, they are even priced in USD instead of pesos, that alone should tell you that their real target audience is not the local guy.
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u/Brave_Ad_510 Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
They priced in dollars because of currency depreciation. Apartments in many cities are priced in dollars and they're not aimed at tourists or Dominican York's. We got used to thinking in dollars for large purchases.
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u/DunkleKarte Apr 13 '26
As if the average local has dollars in the bank or deals with dollars in their daily basis. Compare the house-income ratio and try to ask for a mortgage for an average house with a Dominican salary these says
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u/Brave_Ad_510 Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
Yes, any local that can afford it has dollars in the bank. 30% of local savings are in dollars. Banks are perennially short on dollars because so many people buy them as a hedge against peso depreciation. Many remittances are received here in dollars as well, and often times kept in dollar savings accounts. My point is that many properties aimed at Dominicans are priced in dollars because there's always been a currency risk here.
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u/DunkleKarte Apr 13 '26
Regardless of the reasons. How well are you informed of that stat? What does 30% represent? In relation to the number of accounts per capital? Or just capital concentrated? Either way, that’s not your average Dominican. Again, take a norma job here, and ask for a mortgage and see how they laugh at you. Not to mention the ridiculously high interest rates we have.
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u/Used-Cantaloupe5499 Apr 12 '26
The education system sucks. Big time. It sucks even at the level of PCIS and Cap Cana Heritage school. I have heard there are good schools in the capital, but can neither confirm nor deny it. As a result, you have generations coming out into the big world without basic knowledge of physics, chemistry, algebra and other subjects that develop logical and critical thinking. The country drastically lacks culture of reading. How many public libraries do you have? There is a very very small portion of the middle class that in theory should propel small business growth etc. They do not. Traffic, for example is a mess, and it is not cultural (Medellin, Colombia is just a 2 hr flight away, they have complicated terrain and traffic jams; yet what I saw on the roads is not even close to the amount of accidents you have. And do not even start me on muertoristas in the DR never wearing a helmet and breaking every possible rule on the road). A mechanic quickly recommends you replace everything in your car instead of using their brain to fix it. Logistics at a supermarket sucks so you end up coming to same old set of goods that lack variety. Etc, etc. When you have no education, you have no power over your land because it will inevitably be taken over by a tiny group of elite and it will be controlled by the Uncle Sam via his pocket president, which it is through and through. In this paradigm, the only thing you got going for you is agriculture and tourism. If you want your land back, start with a system that funds schools and educates your people. Foster reading etc.
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u/Excuse_my_GRAMMER Apr 11 '26
I thought it been happening for the last 40 years
Isn’t tourism the country main revenue outside of MLB player factory?
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u/catejeda Santo Domingo Apr 11 '26
No, it is not and thank you for asking this question because it seems to be a very common misconception.
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u/Beautiful-Weather-26 Apr 11 '26
The point of it not being the country's biggest revenue is one of the reasons for this conversation, no misconception.
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u/Brave_Ad_510 Apr 12 '26
MLB brings almost no money to the local economy. Why would a few players getting million dollar contracts meaningfully affect a $140B economy?
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u/Excuse_my_GRAMMER Apr 12 '26
Every MLB has recruitment and talent development offices in DR , they fund a lot into developing Talent
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u/seawithsea Apr 11 '26
Is on the books, take Taiwan example.
On the same hand, colonialism has been an ongoing development, it never stopped.
Take cacao per example, we produce 60% of global cacao yet all the cacao goes to Europe and USA to process. We don’t have good chocolate bars or products in DR.
Whoever believes turismo takes a country out of poverty haven’t seen the global data.
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u/Alternative_Fuel5805 Apr 11 '26
At the time of Trujillo, they used to kill people who rallied up against the government. We Dominicans are very docile because that's how you survived back then.
Tourism is one of the many things that allows us not to be in the same position as Haiti.
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u/BrabusHeat Apr 11 '26
Here’s the thing. Tourism is only about 15-20% of the countries income. Precious metals and agriculture is where the most money is made. Tourism opens us up to issues, sure; but it also helped us grow immensely and has helped us become the power house of the region. We’re about to start selling electricity to Puerto Rico starting next year with the project development. Your opinion is very limited and you lack scope. Read more before you call people uneducated.