SANTO DOMINGO. - The new Tourism minister Francisco Javier Garcia on Tuesday said he’ll meet with all the representatives of the Dominican tourism industry, to present his plan work and vision, and affirmed he’ll apply and continue the plans of outgoing minister Felix Jiménez, whose frequent bouts with controversy made him one of the least popular Cabinet officers.

Garcia, noted for his soft yet firm approach in his previous posts, said he’s committed with the government policies for the industry’s growth and consolidation, in president Leonel Fernandez’s administrations.

Javier Garcia praised the levels of development reached during Jiménez’s tenure. “In general, we aim to maintain the climate of investments in the tourism sector, to work to increase the tourist arrivals to our country, because we are aware of this Ministry’s importance for the country, and our challenge to keep it on top, so it contributes to improve the levels of economic stability in Dominican Republic.”

In that regard, Jiménez said the number foreign tourists who arrived by air rose by 750,000 per year in the 2004-2008 period. “Only last year more than 4 million visitors arrived from an extensive variety of source markets.”