NewsWhore
07-03-2009, 06:00 PM
Francesc Antich, president of Spain's leading tourism destination, the Balearic Islands autonomous region, with 13 million annual visitors, arrived on Tuesday for meetings with President Leonel Fernandez and other Dominican government and tourism business representatives. During a presentation at the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (Funglode) last night, he spoke of the errors the Baleares had made in 50 years of tourism development, so that Dominicans could learn from their experiences.
Antich said that they learned the hard way the major risks intensive growth of hotel and residential units poses. He mentioned it does not give a breather to keep up with the needed infrastructure and trained people in order to provide quality services.
"We now assume that tourism is a matter of state, and it has to be dealt with by the highest authorities," he stressed, especially given what he described as the "pure transversal nature" of the industry. He said that now, 50 years later, the government of Baleares has made 17 Competitiveness, Jobs and Social Cohesion Pacts focusing on their main industry, which is tourism.
Antich repeatedly emphasized quality in tourism in his talk. He described this as a focus on environment, landscaping, cultural and security issues. Within security, he says they have a broader definition beyond merely crime, and now include food, health and general safety for freely getting around.
He said that contrary to all-inclusive enclave type of tourism, in Baleares, there has always been the positive integration of the tourist and the community, and they want to use this as a major plus of their industry.
Antich spoke of how in the 1960s, when they had their original boom, the trend was to build high-rise oceanfront buildings. "In 2009, we now want to blend the buildings with the landscaping, respecting the environment," he stressed.
On the issue of real estate development, he said: "We do not want real estate to burst again beyond the limits that care for the environment and landscape demands."
He said that if renovation of the sector were not to happen, the destination would enter into rapid decline. "We have a global change under way with our focus now on where we want to be in 2020," he told the Dominican audience.
He says this also means incorporating clean new technologies and focusing on what makes Baleares unique. "Buildings need to respect the environment and the landscape," he stressed on several occasions during his talk.
He also highlighted the fact that businesspeople are coming to realize the importance of corporate social responsibility, with much of the work under way now through partnerships with the chambers of commerce.
"Today, when we invest we need to care for everything that makes us unique, that is the landscape, the environment and our cultural heritage," he said. He said the government has set aside 1,600 hectares for new investments in natural spaces.
"To grow without limits is against quality in tourism," he said, admitting they have learned from their mistakes. He urged Dominicans to have land use plans prior to the start of development.
He also encouraged the Dominican government to work side by side with the private sector in developing tourism development strategies and new tourism niches.
During his stay, he toured 9 hotels in the Punta Cana area that are investments of Balearic capital. "I saw very good installations of quality, with outstanding landscape, and hospitable people. You have everything to do things well," he said.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)
Antich said that they learned the hard way the major risks intensive growth of hotel and residential units poses. He mentioned it does not give a breather to keep up with the needed infrastructure and trained people in order to provide quality services.
"We now assume that tourism is a matter of state, and it has to be dealt with by the highest authorities," he stressed, especially given what he described as the "pure transversal nature" of the industry. He said that now, 50 years later, the government of Baleares has made 17 Competitiveness, Jobs and Social Cohesion Pacts focusing on their main industry, which is tourism.
Antich repeatedly emphasized quality in tourism in his talk. He described this as a focus on environment, landscaping, cultural and security issues. Within security, he says they have a broader definition beyond merely crime, and now include food, health and general safety for freely getting around.
He said that contrary to all-inclusive enclave type of tourism, in Baleares, there has always been the positive integration of the tourist and the community, and they want to use this as a major plus of their industry.
Antich spoke of how in the 1960s, when they had their original boom, the trend was to build high-rise oceanfront buildings. "In 2009, we now want to blend the buildings with the landscaping, respecting the environment," he stressed.
On the issue of real estate development, he said: "We do not want real estate to burst again beyond the limits that care for the environment and landscape demands."
He said that if renovation of the sector were not to happen, the destination would enter into rapid decline. "We have a global change under way with our focus now on where we want to be in 2020," he told the Dominican audience.
He says this also means incorporating clean new technologies and focusing on what makes Baleares unique. "Buildings need to respect the environment and the landscape," he stressed on several occasions during his talk.
He also highlighted the fact that businesspeople are coming to realize the importance of corporate social responsibility, with much of the work under way now through partnerships with the chambers of commerce.
"Today, when we invest we need to care for everything that makes us unique, that is the landscape, the environment and our cultural heritage," he said. He said the government has set aside 1,600 hectares for new investments in natural spaces.
"To grow without limits is against quality in tourism," he said, admitting they have learned from their mistakes. He urged Dominicans to have land use plans prior to the start of development.
He also encouraged the Dominican government to work side by side with the private sector in developing tourism development strategies and new tourism niches.
During his stay, he toured 9 hotels in the Punta Cana area that are investments of Balearic capital. "I saw very good installations of quality, with outstanding landscape, and hospitable people. You have everything to do things well," he said.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)