Barahona, Dominican Republic.- Always in the shadow of the East region’s tourism development and in stark porverty, the Southwest can now take advantage of favorable winds which bring new tendencies including adventure, cultural and ecotourism.

The tourists and the industry as well seek out a model of variety beyond the traditional “sun, sand and beach,” where thrills, experiences and lasting memories, attained only through contact with nature and the people.

The stagnation of the Southwest provinces Barahona, Pedernales and Independencia is as old as the start of the country’s tourism development, said Arturo Villanueva, executive vice-president of the hoteliers grouped in Asonahores. “At that time the priority for the market was different and that’s the reason the investments flowed towards other places.”

For Barahona Tourist Cluster executive director Elena Nunzinati, although the problem is as pressing as ever, there is hope. “The attractiveness has taken on value when the authorities decided to extend the measures."

Of the country’s 2,699 hotels which served tourists in 2009, only 27 were in the region’s three provinces, or 1.0 percent, reveals a joint report by the Central Bank, Asonahores and the Tourism Ministry.

Moreover a Tourism Ministry study found that of the 688 projects approved from 2007 to 2009, only 12 were for the Southwest, specifically in Barahona, or fewer than 1.74% of the total.

Attractions

The cold mountains of the Baoruco Range; miles of pristine beaches; sulfur springs in Enriquillo Lake; Cabral’s carnival, exotic birds, and nature of three National Parks are some of the attractions of the forgotten but promising region.