[DR1] Public access to beaches?

[NewsWhore]

Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez has admitted that Dominican citizens are unable to access many beaches that are currently occupied by hotel complexes, but he informed that the government will declare the beaches public territory to allow free access to these areas, as reported by Listin Diario. Jimenez was speaking to the press before the meeting to discuss the development of Bahia de las Aguilas, and said that only beaches where privatization has not become an issue are Sosua and Boca Chica. Reports and complaints from citizens indicate that Dominicans are unable to make free use of beaches, despite legislation that states that they are all resources of public domain under the control of the state and that hotels should leave access routes. According to an analysis by Felicita Heredia, a member of the Academy of Sciences and former director of the Ministry of the Environment's Coastal and Marine Resources Department, 70% of the country's 192 beaches are privatized. Citizens who do not pay the hotel fees are not allowed to access the beaches.

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