SANTO DOMINGO.- The slow pace of the project to build the five star Thermal and Tourism Center in Canoa, Barahona (southwest) has began to worry the investors, who now consider other options in the region, where they can develop the complex at an estimated cost of US$1.5 billion.

The situation of little advance began in 2007 with the lease procedure signed between the Tourism Ministry and the Spanish company Terma de la Salamandra, as Congress has yet to ratify the contract and the Environment Ministry permit hasn’t been issued.

"The investors are asking me what’s happening, we wither go ahead or we’ll go somewhere else, and in fact don’t tell us if we’re going to solve things quickly here, we’re tired of it all," said Roberto Chetoni, president of Terma de la Salamandra.

He said the project would solve many of the South region’s problems, because it will include important investments aimed at invigorating the zone’s development.

Chetoni said so far they’ve spent more than US$2 million in legal proceedings, payments to farmers and other documents, "because I want to begin, but I cannot, because I need the ratification of the contract in Congress; in Environment we’ve presented all the papers, but they always tell us tnat now we need this, we also need that and now we feel that we already presented everything and we’re waiting."

He said the investors tell him “let’s go to another place, but I believe in the project and the possibility of in fact making something incredible, I don’t understand why there’s no advance," on the complex aimed at a tourism of health.

SOURCE: diariolibre.com