Energy issues in tourism sector

[NewsWhore]

The chief executives of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Asonahores) broke their fast with editors of El Caribe newspaper yesterday morning. Their conversation focused on the serious issues facing Dominican tourism in the current energy crisis. Luis Lopez and Arturo Villanueva explained that energy accounts for 20% of the cost of a room at all major hotels or resorts. The energy factor also contributes to the level of competitiveness of Dominican tourism offerings versus what other nations have to offer. If local hotels and resorts purchase energy from local providers, they are paying US$0.24 cents a kilowatt-hour, but our major competitors are paying half or less that price for the same amount of energy. According to both executives, efforts to purchase energy directly from the providers have met with stiff resistance from the electricity distributors. In another series of comments, Villanueva remarked on the need to finish some of the basic infrastructure projects, such as the Tourism Corridor which is designed to prevent the creation of slum areas near tourist areas, as has occurred in Puerto Plata to the detriment of that destination. Such a corridor would provide safety for the tourist and allow for adjacent areas to prosper from the tourist trade.

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