Dominican Republic

The destination “Samaná”

The peninsula Samaná in the Cibao Nordeste region is internationally renowned for its cultural heritage, biodiversity and scenic beauty. The province is made up of three municipalities (Sanchez, Santa Bárbara de Samaná and Las Terrenas) and three municipal districts (Las Galeras, El Limón and Arroyo Barril). The province is one of the main tourist destinations of the country but comes across as different from the internationally famous Punta Cana and its all-inclusive hotels. Samaná is known for nature-based and adventure tourism with activities centring around activities in the national parks, snorkelling, whale observation and classic sun and beach tourism. The destination is particularly popular among individual travellers.

The project process in Samaná

During the project, key risks for tourism in the Samaná Province were identified. These include sudden shock events and slow-onset stressors. The potential negative impacts of these risks include adverse consequences for human lives, the economy, the environment, destination image, or community well-being. Below, the key risks in Samaná Province as well as underlying risk drivers which were identified during the participatory workshops and interviews are summarized.

 

A multitude of differentiated options for action to tackle key risks for tourism in the Samaná Province were identified.

 

In order to increase long term resilience of tourism destinations in Samaná, there is a need to raise awareness for risks through training and capacity enhancement of local tourism stakeholders on sustainability and resilience. Therefore, the local project team organized training programs to address risk, resilience and sustainability in the tourism industry in Samaná.

Actor mapping in the Dominican Republic – Good Practice for Step 1

In the pilot region Samaná in the Dominican Republic, extensive literature review and interviews with key stakeholders facilitated the development of a detailed actor mapping containing governmental, non-governmental and private sector bodies. Furthermore, information on source markets and visitor profiles were examined to identify (inter)national dependencies. Lastly, attractions and assets relevant for tourism development were identified.

Identifying sources of risks to tourism – Good Practice for Step 2

During the project, key risks for tourism in the Samaná Province were identified. These include sudden shock events and slow-onset stressors. The potential negative impacts of these risks include adverse consequences for human lives, the economy, the environment, destination image, or community well-being. Below, the key risks in Samaná Province as well as underlying risk drivers which were identified during the participatory workshops and interviews are summarized.

Development of a risk matrix in the Dominican Republic – Good Practice for Step 3

As part of this step, the local team in the province of Samaná held a participatory workshop in which actors from all institutions, organisations and corporations involved in the tourism sector came together.

 

Participants received a tag with their name on it and a specific colour to show which institutions they represented. They were then distributed over four tables to create heterogeneous groups with public sector, private sector and civil society representatives at each table. The workshop entailed a detailed description of the tourism system in Samaná and an overview of hazards and risks for tourism action in the province, illustrated by the moderator.

 

After identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in a SWOT analysis, the participants derived natural and human-made threats to tourism development in the destination. These hazards were then again contrasted with the previously identified shocks and stressors.

 

Afterwards, shocks and stressors were categorised in a risk matrix based on the level of perceived probability and extent of consequence. Working in groups, participants categorised shocks and stresses into four quadrants (high probability and serious consequences, high probability and few consequences, low probability and serious consequences, low probability and few consequences) based on their previous knowledge of and experience in the territory.

 

The feedback participants provided after the workshop was positive throughout: participants appreciated the opportunity to express their concerns and contribute to tourism planning and development. Moreover, participants felt that they gained a better understanding of the responsibilities of each institution and that they learned about new concepts and ideas regarding sustainability and resilience.

 

Identifying responsibilities in Samaná, Dominican Republic – Good Practice for Step 5

Step 5 entails the identification of responsibilities and the development of a long-term resilience strategy for the destination. To achieve this, the local team from Samaná developed an approach for a trans-sectoral resilience roundtable. They concluded that a governance system‘s comprehensiveness depends to a large extent on the horizontality of decision-making. Through the implementation of a resilience roundtable, all relevant actors of the three governance levels in the province (central, provincial and municipal) as well as NGOs, the community and the private sector can be represented. This structure allows for taking relevant decisions of the territory and its dependencies but also for monitoring processes regardless of changes in who represents the different roles and functions in the institutions, organisations, associations and groups. The following figure exemplifies the set-up of such a round table.

Outcomes

 

Photo credits

NAPA74/iStockphoto

KATE Umwelt & Entwicklung