Paul Beswick
La Altagracia (Dominican Republic): Tourist destination and invisible
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Paul Beswick
La Altagracia (Dominican Republic): Tourist destination and invisible
While the world books flights to the beaches of Punta Cana and the public-private partnership in the tourism sector celebrates record occupancy rates, only a few kilometers away the other side of the coin endures: the real province—the invisible one—whose needs receive only limited consideration.
La Altagracia is estimated to generate more than US$5 billion in annual tourism revenue. Yet, at the same time, it ranks among the provinces with the lowest Human Development Index in the Dominican Republic. This is not a contradiction. It is an indictment.
Why is this the case?
The reasons are structural and multifaceted.
First: the tourism model has weak local linkages. A substantial share of hotel commercial operations is conducted outside the borders of La Altagracia. Most operational and technical staff are recruited from other parts of the country, while the quantity and quality of locally rooted entrepreneurship remain constrained by longstanding structural and cultural factors. As a result, the economic spillover reaching local communities is insufficient, leaving the province with only a limited share of the wealth generated within its own territory.
Second: the absent State. La Altagracia carries a historic debt that has yet to be repaid. Public investment in healthcare, education, vocational training, seed capital, infrastructure, and other essential services has historically been disproportionately low relative to the province's fiscal contribution. La Altagracia generates the tax revenues; other provinces receive the projects.
Third: while the hotel industry undoubtedly provides formal employment to thousands of workers, opportunities for career advancement remain limited. Moreover, it is widely recognized that real estate developers rely heavily on irregular foreign labor, where labor rights and social security protections are, in many cases, virtually nonexistent. Companies frequently applaud the concept of corporate social responsibility, yet—with notable exceptions such as Grupo Puntacana—only a small number put it into meaningful practice.
What must be done?
The national government has a specific historical obligation: to earmark a fixed, non-negotiable share of tourism revenues for primary healthcare, technical education, sanitation, transportation, public safety, and urban planning in the municipalities of La Altagracia. These investments should be subject to independent citizen oversight and public auditing.
The private sector must move beyond rhetoric and actively promote genuine local supply chains. Sustainable tourism is not a marketing slogan; it is either a business model or it does not exist.
The province's civil society organizations—including churches, neighborhood associations, professional organizations, and NGOs—must also make their voices heard. They should advocate in an organized, persistent, and peaceful manner, always within the rule of law, avoiding public disorder and protecting the achievements that have been made.
La Altagracia does not need more brochures, studies, or development plans. It needs economic justice. The difference between the two is precisely what successive governments have been unwilling to discuss openly with the people of La Altagracia in order to find lasting solutions.
Real development creates new opportunities and improves the quality of life for everyone. Prosperity that does not reach the broader community is not development; it is simply another name for coexistence with underdevelopment.
Author: Paul Beswick
President, La Altagracia–Punta Cana Tourism Cluster
Executive Director, Grupo Puntacana Foundation
The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of the facts contained in this document and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of Tourism and Society Think Tank and do not commit the Organization, and should not be attributed to TSTT or its members.
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