TUI, Plan International unveil plan for East region slum

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.- The future of the slum Mata Mosquitos, in Bávaro, (east), whose sprawl worries various sectors in the country’s biggest tourism region, , could become clear in the coming days, with proposals aimed at spurring change in the lives of residents.

Reports by newspaper Listin Diario piqued interest in the calamity and a push for a prompt solution, starting with the Tourism Ministry’s Territorial Zoning Plan for La Altagracia province, with some entities already pledging commitments.

Proposal

The Care Foundation of TUI, the world’s largest tour operator, unveiled an “Economic empowerment program” to be carried out through the TUI Academy, to benefit Mata Mosquito’s residents.

Plan

In a recent visit to the site, Plan International Dominican Republic director Virginia Saiz called the country’s inequality regretful, which “reflects very well this absurd existing incongruity, where 40% of households live in conditions of poverty and 10% in extreme poverty.”

She notes the irony that while Mata Mosquito is home to over 4,000 people who live behind Punta Cana’s most luxurious hotels and villas, far from the sea, they are also far from their own opportunities.

“It’s hard to describe it: people settled there 10 years ago to find employment in the growing tourism industry, but those dreams never materialized.”