#Project | New Assignment
SETIN, in Joint Venture with THR Tourism Industry Advisors, has been awarded the assignment “Tourism Diagnostic and Circuit Development – Enriquillo Sur” in the Dominican Republic.
The consultancy, commissioned by the World Bank Group, aims to support the sustainable development of tourism in the Enriquillo Sur region, strengthening its connection with the emerging tourism hub of Cabo Rojo in Pedernales.
The assignment will develop a comprehensive territorial tourism diagnostic, identify and assess natural and cultural assets, design sustainable tourism circuits, and formulate recommendations for investment, destination management, and long-term development.
Located in southwestern Dominican Republic, the Enriquillo region encompasses four provinces: Pedernales, Barahona, Bahoruco, and Independencia. The region is characterized by exceptional biodiversity, diverse landscapes, protected areas, cultural heritage, and significant opportunities for nature-based and community tourism.
Its natural and cultural assets include the Jaragua–Bahoruco–Enriquillo UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, encompassing ecosystems of outstanding ecological value; Bahía de las Águilas, one of the country’s most renowned coastal landscapes; and Lake Enriquillo, the largest lake in the Caribbean. The region also features national parks, forests, mountains, wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems, traditional communities, and agricultural landscapes, including coffee, cacao, and honey production.
Despite this potential, many of the region’s tourism assets remain underdeveloped or insufficiently connected to established tourism markets. At the same time, the ongoing development of Cabo Rojo as a major tourism destination presents an opportunity to generate economic benefits across the wider territory.
The challenge is to ensure that tourism growth extends beyond major tourism infrastructure and contributes to local economic development, environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and community participation.
The overall objective of the assignment is to establish the technical and strategic foundations for a diversified, competitive, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable tourism destination.
The consultancy will identify, map, characterize, and assess the natural, cultural, productive, and infrastructure assets of the region, considering their tourism potential, accessibility, environmental sensitivity, and development opportunities. It will also develop an integrated portfolio of tourism routes and experiences connecting priority destinations and attractions, including nature-based tourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism, rural tourism, and agritourism.
In addition, the assignment will assess existing infrastructure and services, identify development gaps, and propose priority public and private investments to improve accessibility, tourism facilities, and visitor experiences. Recommendations will also address tourism governance, coordination mechanisms involving public institutions, private operators, and local communities, destination management, market positioning, and the phased implementation of priority interventions.
The Joint Venture combines THR’s international expertise in tourism strategy, destination development, and investment planning with SETIN’s expertise in territorial and environmental planning, biodiversity conservation, protected-area management, and Geographic Information Systems.
Within the Joint Venture, SETIN will contribute its expertise to support sustainable tourism development in Enriquillo Sur. Its activities will include geospatial mapping and assessment of tourism assets, infrastructure, protected areas, and environmental constraints; analysis of biodiversity conservation priorities and tourism carrying capacity, particularly in Bahía de las Águilas and Cabo Rojo; and the identification of measures to minimize environmental impacts.
SETIN will also contribute to the design of sustainable tourism circuits, including nature-based, coastal, marine, rural, and community-based tourism, while supporting recommendations for environmental governance, community participation, and sustainable financing mechanisms.
The SETIN team involved in this assignment includes Alessandro Piazzi, Giacomo Cozzolino, Viola Fonnesu, and Lindsay Canet, who will contribute to the implementation of the project’s technical activities.
These activities will help ensure that tourism development is compatible with biodiversity conservation, territorial sustainability, and local economic opportunities
