NewsWhore
10-10-2008, 04:00 PM
The Tourism Promotion Council (Confotur) of the Ministry of Tourism has met twice this month, with another session pending for the end of the month. The meetings are to decide on tourism development projects that had been submitted months ago. Manuel Quiterio Cedeno writes in El Caribe that many cases date back to 2006, while the ruling establishes that the Ministry of Tourism has a 60 day deadline to approve or reject a project.
"While there are cases of delays because the promoters did not present the complete documentation, or because the projects were lacking requirements from the Ministry of Environment, or affected by delay tactics of that Ministry, but the main reason for the delays is that the past authorities of the Ministry of Tourism used the mechanism to punish dissidents or favor friends," writes Cedeno. He said that a press release distributed by the Ministry of Tourism says that the projects approved would mean more than US$3 billion in new investment. He said that in the first meeting 24 projects were approved, and another13 proposals in the second meeting. More projects are expected to receive approval at the end of the month.
New Toursm Minister Francisco Javier Garcia recently announced that his ministry would resolve in 60 days all pending cases, and from then on, the 60-day time limit would be honored, in order to expedite new investment.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Tourism is studying a new procedure to expedite the approval. A booklet outlining how investors and developers should submit a case is being prepared. Furthermore, the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Environment would appoint a joint commission to review the cases in order to expedite the projects' approval or rejection.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
"While there are cases of delays because the promoters did not present the complete documentation, or because the projects were lacking requirements from the Ministry of Environment, or affected by delay tactics of that Ministry, but the main reason for the delays is that the past authorities of the Ministry of Tourism used the mechanism to punish dissidents or favor friends," writes Cedeno. He said that a press release distributed by the Ministry of Tourism says that the projects approved would mean more than US$3 billion in new investment. He said that in the first meeting 24 projects were approved, and another13 proposals in the second meeting. More projects are expected to receive approval at the end of the month.
New Toursm Minister Francisco Javier Garcia recently announced that his ministry would resolve in 60 days all pending cases, and from then on, the 60-day time limit would be honored, in order to expedite new investment.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Tourism is studying a new procedure to expedite the approval. A booklet outlining how investors and developers should submit a case is being prepared. Furthermore, the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Environment would appoint a joint commission to review the cases in order to expedite the projects' approval or rejection.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)