Rainieri: “So far, there is no firm policy against sargassum”
Combating the arrival of Sargassum along the coasts of the Dominican Republic has become one of the biggest challenges for the tourism sector, as the seaweed mass affects beaches and the enjoyment of visitors who choose the country for their vacations.
Various plans have been proposed on the subject by different entities, including interesting initiatives, but they have not yet materialized.
Therefore, Frank Rainieri, founder of Grupo Puntacana, has been emphatic that the Dominican Republic must create a coherent and firm policy against Sargassum, since, so far, the plans have remained only in words.
“We have to confront the Sargassum. We have to create a policy against Sargassum; so far there has been talk, but there is no coherent and firm policy against Sargassum,” he said.
He stated that the issue must be defined now because the tourism sector cannot be projected for next year, 2027, while still suffering from the Sargassum problem.
“We cannot go into next year without having it because we need to take action now,” he said.
Rainieri cited as an example that if a barrier program is to be approved, it must be authorized now because orders for supplies take six months to arrive in the country and then another two months for installation.
“If we go through that time, we will be back in Sargassum season, so we have many things to resolve ahead, and we have to resolve them,” he pointed out.
On this issue, it is worth noting that there is a cabinet tasked with analyzing possible alternatives to address the problem along the entire Dominican coast, and once a solution is found, the Association of Hotels and Tourism (Asonahores) will have access to funds from the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) to combat Sargassum on the affected beaches throughout the country.
Tourism Minister David Collado reported in June of this year, 2026, that the entity maintains $9 million in an account so that, once a solution is in place, the disbursement can be authorized through Asonahores.
