Impacto de Irma-I
Por José Bourget
Los turistas vienen a Las Terrenas por sus playas y por su oferta
culinaria...en las playas, entre otras cosas. Irma nos ha dejado un desastre de
enormes proporciones, con un impacto económico devastador. Desde la Aldea de los Pescadores hasta Punta
Popy todos los restaurantes han sido afectados o destruídos. Con una rara excepción o dos, quizás, no
habrá restaurante disponible este fin de semana (ojalá que sea diferente). Todos los restaurantes en la playa entre el
cementerio hasta Punta Popy están devastados, desaparecieron o se hundieron.
Aunque la idea no es popular entre los dueños de restaurantes, es una
oportunidad de recuperar la playa y de transformar el modelo de negocios
existente porque tales desastres seguirán ocurriendo, en mayor o menor
medida. ¿Por qué invertir para perderlo
todo? Miren lo que pasó con los dizque
60 millones invertidos por el Ministerio de Turismo para reconstruir la Aldea
de los Pescadores. Fue una de las peores
decisiones en términos de medio ambiente y financiero, pero fue muy populista justo antes de las elecciones de hace 5 años. La Aldea, que ya se cae a pedazos, con
lixiviados de los vertederos sobre las calzadas, los baños hechos un desastre y
en clara necesidad de reparaciones y de una mejor gestión financiera (y menos
conflictiva), sufrió enormemente, con casi todo el tablero peatonal en muy mal
estado. Ahí se van a tener que
reinvertir millones para repararlo y para que los dueños de restaurantes no lo
pierdan todo. Igualmente, la decisión
dura será si vale la pena seguir mejorando o construyendo un lugar condenado a
ser consumido por el mar…y suerte que Irma no nos dio como se esperaba. ¿Se imagina lo que hubiera pasado con la
Aldea con un mar bajo la fuerza de vientos a 300 kms por hora?
El mar viene a reclamar lo que es y lo que no es suyo. Tiempo de pensar y tiempo de tomar decisiones
estratégicas aunque potencialmente impopulares.
IRMA’S IMPACT—I
By José Bourget
Tourists come to Las
Terrenas because of its beaches and culinary offer…by the beach, among other
good reasons. Irma has left behind a
gargantuan disaster with a devastating economic impact. From the Aldea de los Pescadores all the way
to Punta Popy there’s not a single restaurant on the wáter that isn’t either
destroyed or severely damaged. Perhaps
with one exception or two, this coming weekend there won’t be a culinary offer
on the wáter (I seriously hope to be wrong). The área between the cemetery and Punta Popy
is particularly affected.
Although not popular among
restaurant owners, this is the greatest opportunity to recuperate the beach
front and to leave it as natural as possible, though it would imply a change in
the business model for many of such businesses that took advantage of the lack
of control and regulation (as well as corruption and impunity). The reason is plain: the sea will continue to invade the coast and
destroy what’s built on the water.
Why invest to lose it
all again? Just look at the alleged 60
million pesos invested by the Ministry of Tourism in the rebuilding of the Aldea
de los Pescadores after burning down even in spite of strong protestations
against building it in the same place, but it was done months before the
elections of 2010 and the rebuilt was
delivered a month before the actual elections. It was a terrible decision for the environment
and for the use of public funds, but who cared back then? It was a populist decision that paid
off. Now, with the boardwalk severely
damaged or destroyed, with some of the restaurants severely affected, with the
degrading environment caused by lack of proper management and abandonment,
wouldn’t it be a good time to rethink what would the best business model for the
future of the Aldea, possibly icluding a new location?
Otherwise, millions
would need to be reinvested so that owners and renters won’t lose it all and
any move should consider the best support possible for restaurant owners that
provide Las Terrenas with some of the best and most diverse culinary offer on
the Atlantic coast. The decision may be
unpopular and difficult, but one must seriously consider the real natural
world. Storms like Irma will continue to
hit us and sooner or later the Aldea will be washed away, which would have
happened if the hurricane had stayed its original course and strength. Can you imagine the waves that 180 mph winds
would create? We now have the remains
and a lot of debris, instead of plain nothing.
The sea is staking a
claim on what belongs to her or wants to take.
It is time to think deep and hard, making strategic decisions that fit
the needs for our future, not just the populist needs of politicians, or the
purely financial ideas of business owners.
