ADERES sets out to strengthen Dominican gastronomy as a tourism asset

The Dominican Restaurant Association (ADERES) has just wrapped its Annual Assembly with a clear message: gastronomy is not a footnote to Dominican tourism, it's a competitive asset in its own right. In the document where it defines its strategic priorities for 2026-2027, the restaurant sector highlights gains this cycle (institutional growth, membership strengthening) and lays out an ambitious agenda that touches nerves in the hotel and tourism business model.

What strikes me here is the substance: while Punta Cana, Samaná, and La Romana keep banking on all-inclusive resorts, ADERES is pointing toward a differentiated gastronomic tourism strategy. This opens an uncomfortable but necessary conversation. Dominican hotels and resorts have historically seen restaurants as a threat to food margins. Local, structured, identity-driven gastronomy could be the opposite: a magnet for travelers chasing experiences, not just beaches.

Shoring up gastronomic tourism requires three non-negotiable things. First, hotel operators must stop treating local food as competition and weave it into brand narratives. Second, MITUR must back these priorities with investment in training and quality standards. Third, the small restaurateur in Santo Domingo, La Romana, or Puerto Plata needs real tools to scale without losing identity. That's where the real money sits.