Location
A NATURAL ESCAPE
Tropicalia is located in the municipality of Miches of El Seibo province on the southern shores of the Samaná Bay, a world-renowned Marine Mammal Sanctuary, where 2,000 humpback whales migrate annually to calve and mate in its warm waters. Its beaches, known as Playa Esmeralda, recently witnessed a small, yet significant resurgence of Leatherback turtles that make landfall to nest their eggs.
Miches boasts a diverse ecosystem of beaches, mountains, mangroves, forests, lagoons, and rivers. The area is well-known for its unique natural beauty, including the stunning beaches of Playa Esmeralda and Playa Arriba, the towering Cordillera Oriental, tropical prairie landscapes and, just a short trip down the coastline, Los Haitises National Park is an explorer’s paradise. Encompassing 319 square miles, the park boasts lush rolling hills, dense mangrove forests, ancient caverns, Taíno petroglyphs, and bountiful wildlife, ready for discovery by hikers, mountain bikers, boaters, paddle boarders and kayakers.
MICHES: DEVELOPMENT IN BALANCE
As an emerging tourist destination, the community of Miches faces many challenges and opportunities as approximately 3,000 hotel rooms and 1,600 residences are scheduled to come online in the next five years. Like any popular tourism destination, Miches’ biggest challenge will be striking the balance between economic growth, resource management, orderly urban development and inclusive supply chains.
Tropicalia and Fundación Tropicalia work hard to support the balanced development of the region, where tourism flourishes in a progressive and responsible manner. Miches’ main economic activities include subsistence farming, cattle-raising, artisanal fishing, and micro-business services; nevertheless, tourism activities and investments are becoming more prominent and increasing the presence of micro and small business operators in the area.
DESTINATION MANAGEMENT
Tropicalia continued its active participation in the El Seibo-Miches Association of Hotels and Restaurants (PROMICHES), a non-governmental organization that unifies the hospitality sector in support of sustainable destination management in the Municipality of Miches and the El Seibo province.
In 2021, PROMICHES coordinated multi stakeholder efforts to support the monitoring and protection of Leatherback turtle nests found on the Playa Esmeralda coastline; Tropicalia’s contributions included designating employees to monitoring the nests and creating georeferenced maps for record keeping.
Additionally, PROMICHES and the Executive Office of the President signed a public private partnership (PPP) to bring forth an ambitious development agenda for the municipality. Tropicalia supports this agenda, which covers nine key action areas for sustainable destination development.
