Santo Domingo.- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) seeks to incorporate communities into successful communitarian eco-tourism, and which also guarantee economic benefits to the population,

As part of the solution USAID yesterday signed 10 agreements to donate RD$14.9 million for as many nongovernment organizations and community groups across the country.

The beneficiary organizations will contribute 50% in matching funds for each project’s total investment, whose budget will have to correspond with the executors’ institutional, administrative and programmatic capacity.

The Destinations Fund aims to bolster strategic alliances between the public and private sectors, to assist communities in environmental protection and Dominican cultural values.

Aside from guaranteeing economic benefits and improved quality of life for those communities, the Fund also seeks promote stronger local participation in the management of their respective tourism destinations, located in La Romana, La Vega, Espaillat, Monseñor Nouel, Pedernales, Barahona, Puerto Plata and El Seybo provinces.

USAID director Richard Goughnour stressed the U.S. Government’s commitment to support the country’s efforts in protects on sustainable tourism, the environment, lowering poverty and Dominican culture. “These 10 projects which we have signed today are an example of our commitment to this objective and we congratulate all the institutions which receive these resources through our Destinations Fund. In the near future we’ll be visiting and inaugurating each of their projects.”

The Destinations Fund program places small incentives at the disposal of entities which work in the area of sustainable tourism and as a result representatives of different organisms met to evaluate 95 proposals and selected the 10 projects, the U.S. official said.