Its tranquility, its fresh climate throughout the year, the imposing beauty of its mountains and the variety of activities it offers to connect with nature make it Jarabacoa You don’t need a presentation: your Ecotourism offer It has matured, despite the null or little support of the State to promote fate as a mandatory stop for International tourists.
The slowness in the execution of priority works -As the road that connects with Constance or its aqueduct– The lack of application of a plan Territorial planning and the lack of inclusion of destiny in the promotion strategies They demonstrate it, businessmen and investors agree in this municipality.
These factors have contributed to Jarabacoa The local touristswhich usually visit it during their weekends or holidays, limiting an activity – whose dynamism depends on the economy of an entire municipality – to which it takes more frequently for only 12 days a month, according to the Tourist cluster of Jarabacoa.
And is that vacation They are still the favorite moment of the year for Dominicans mobilize, being the main motivation of 46.2 % who also chose the Cibao to travel internally at 30.7 %, according to a recent poll of the Center for Tourism Studies and Local Development (CETDEL).
“In most of the year and now in the summer, we are receiving more Dominicans who live abroad (…); They are the Dominicans that come to have fun here to the mountains, to the countryside, to the river, but we still do not have the tourism that comes throughout the week that is the international, “observed the president of the Tourist cluster of JarabacoaAlba Yris Rodríguez.
Along the same lines, the president of the Support Council for JarabacoaJosé Tejeda, highlights that the Citizen Security has encouraged the climate of investment and has helped the tourism grow up.
However, the authorities continue to support plans that help to give the municipality the push you need to generate greater economic dynamism. “Without criticism, the Ministry of Tourism It seems that he has forgotten Jarabacoabecause at this time he is not investing at all (…), “he remarked.
In 2023, President Luis Abinader promulgated La Vega as Ecotourism province through decree 47-23, with an allocation of 12 million pesos for six years for the development of priority works that encourage him tourism in the area.
However, as with other demarcations, It is unknown How these funds are managedor are not distributed as expected by breach of the regulations of the provincial councils.
Tourism development
Rodríguez says that the pandemic caused a “boom” in the real estate development and of Accommodation offers short -income, attracting investments of developers Dominicans and foreigners who already had business in already consolidated tourist destinations, such as La Romana and Punta Cana.
Jarabacoa It already has more than 1,000 properties that offer rooms in country villas and hotels.
This offer is complemented with restaurants who take advantage of their strategic location, in addition to being a conducive place for Aquatic activities -As professional rafting- and outdoors such as hiking, paragliding and tours in boogies and 4×4 vehicles.
“We have a lot diversity to offer the tourist, the Veraneante who may be interested in Jarabacoabut it requires that the tourism do investmentsbelieve projectsgive proposals (…) so that Jarabacoa Continue with the progress, “he observed.
Key needs
The accelerated growth of tourism He also showed what was needed. “At that time, we detect that infrastructure of Jarabacoa It was very inefficient For what was happening, “said the president of the Tourist cluster.
The termination of the road which connects municipalities that connect to Jarabacoa With Constance and the culmination of a aqueduct that carry drinking water are the two needs that most urgent in the communityRodríguez and Tejeda agreed.
To this are also added other limitations that must be resolved to further encourage tourismsuch as the regulation of Sonic pollution in residential or tourist areas and lack of road signalingtourist and environmental in the main natural attractions of the municipality – like the path of the Mogote, the Ebano Verde Park, the Armando Bermúdez National Park, among others.
Aqueduct and road: The most urgent
The construction of four lanes to expand the road main to Jarabacoa With Constance is a construction site whose termination progresses on droppers. Although his advances were announced by the Ministry of Public Works and communications – which announced a investment exceeding 500 million pesos for jobs-, still without completing.
While it has not yet generated ravages to tourismit is true that people “think about it” to go to JarabacoaRodríguez said.
And if you go, stop to buy Arepas–A typical dish of the area– is even more difficult.
“That has affected sales a lot“says Yubelkis Capellán, a merchant who has seen the flow of customers in the last four months, although there are sellers, such as Domingo Suárez, who ensure that this trend has been giving for a year.
The difficulties to park through the state of the road They worse with the constant vehicle flow Heavy involved there. “Daily, a Jarabacoaabout 60 trucks work for construction materials, which makes traffic get a little dense, “said Erick Durán.
Regarding aqueductthe president of Coaja, José Tejeda, celebrated that finally the Government Start, a month ago, jobs for the construction of a water outlet and the rehabilitation of the treatment plant.
In rural areas, water supply predominates through tubular wells, which eventually causes a Environmental impact larger for the indiscriminate use of groundwater.
“There is a little one aqueductbut If it rains there is no water. They close the passage of water automatically to the houses, because it is taken from the river, and the water is already murky, it is already dirty, and stops the supply of the water, the little there is, “Rodríguez said.
The construction sitewhich will have a investment of 1.7 billion pesos could be ready at the end of 2026, estimates Darwin Medos, an engineer in charge of the construction site.
The Coaja works in a proposal that will deliver to the Ministry of Tourism to further encourage tourism in this municipality.
Among the initiatives, is the maintenance of the green areas and the reconditioning of the La Confluence Park to encourage trade in the area, the inclusion of the Jarabacoa golf park in the tourism promotion plans and the construction of a parking lot in the city center to decongest traffic and facilitate access to tourists and premises, among other projects.
