Seaside Resort Development in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

Within the informal sector, legitimate services are provided by itinerant and semi-stationary vendors peddling items ranging from traditionally prepared food and beverages to locally manufactured folk handicrafts and souvenirs. In contrast, officious services are often rendered by the ubiquitous guides, money changers, personal secretaries, “beach boys.“ and prostitutes who cruise the streets and pathways of coastal resorts. Undesirable goods, include items made from endangered or exotic marine life forms, natural karst formations, and the sale of illicit if not illegal narcotics and drugs. Formal tourist development lends to manifest itself in three distinct forms: l)self-contained enclaves: 2)semi-insular/interactive enclaves; and 3)integrated domestic-international resorts. The luxury class enclave resort is highly restrictive, tolerating practically no participation by the informal sector. In contrast, the semi-insular resort model promoted by the Dominican government advocates controlled access via small concessions on the resort fringe away from beaches and hotels, yet within the tourist's reach. Finally, integrated domestic-international destination seaside resorts are characterized by the colorful and increasingly competitive participation between and among formal and informal sectors. Integration in this dynamic resort type may range from co-existence and non-interference, to semi-formalization. control, and ultimately the eradication of the informal sector.