Mountain biker in the Dominican Republic (File photo).
Santo Domingo.- The coordinator of the Dominicana Enduro Series, Waldo de la Mota, pointed out that biking is an activity that can boost mountain tourism and trekking in the Dominican Republic.
“This type of tourism reaches places where traditional tourism does not reach; then, it can be taught to the locals,” he expressed in an interview with El Nuevo Diario.
De la Mota explained that bicycle tours can promote rural communities that are not included in traditional tours, for which he assured that one of his dreams is to be able to teach local residents how to generate income from it.
“When you prepare those trails, you can teach the farmers that hey can go into business and generate money by taking care of a trail, because many people can come along that beautiful trail, either to ride their bicycles or to walk; and with that, the woman who sells will sell more. Some young people can be guides and that is a way to empower communities,” he explained.
The renowned athlete made these statements during a dialogue with Pedro Lorenzo in the program “Agenda Ciudadana”, broadcast by digital platform El Nuevo Diario TV.
De la Mota said that the trails attract a large number of visitors, whether bikers or hikers, which directly benefits local businesses.
His vision also includes that communities developing their own trail can compete with each other for the most beautiful trail, as this will diversify tourism and the way communities evolve.