DOMINICAN RESORT TOURISM, SUSTAINABILITY, AND MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The tourism industry continues to be touted as the main income and employment generator for Caribbean nations. In the Dominican Republic (DR), international tourism has become one of the largest industries and is a major contributor to the country’s economic growth. A recent trend in the DR is the development of luxurious residential resort complexes and private resort cities, mainly designed and created for foreign ownership. The Dominican government support for such projects has been very strong due to the economic propensity of these high-end resorts to assist the country in generating local opportunities for stable employment, creating basic infrastructure, alleviating poverty, and stimulating sustainable human development, i.e., achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Considering the DR’s continued focus on resort tourism development and ongoing foreign investment in such projects, it is important t