A long-simmering debate over coastal access in the Dominican Republic has gained new clarity after a top tourism industry executive laid out a balanced path forward that protects both public rights and private investment. Aguie Lendor, executive vice president of the Dominican Hotel and Tourism Association (Asonahores), laid out the organization’s official stance in a recent interview with local news outlet El Despertador, making clear that the group supports permanent, free access to the country’s iconic coastline for all people — both Dominican citizens and international visitors. Lendor emphasized that the public holds an inherent right to enjoy the country’s beaches, a position that aligns with widespread public sentiment across the Caribbean nation. However, she also pushed for the introduction of clear, structured regulations that can foster peaceful coexistence between members of the public visiting beaches and the hotel properties that line much of the Dominican coastline. In her argument for targeted regulation, Lendor highlighted the significant investments hotels make to maintain the coastal areas adjacent to their properties. These investments cover a wide range of critical services, from regular beach cleaning and waste management to on-site security personnel, ongoing infrastructure upkeep, and public amenities that benefit all beachgoers, not just hotel guests. These ongoing responsibilities, she argued, must be factored into any new regulatory framework governing coastal space use. Ultimately, Lendor stressed that the core goal of any policy should be striking a fair, sustainable balance: one that preserves the public’s right to access and enjoy Dominican beaches, while avoiding harm to the tourism sector — the single largest driver of economic activity and employment in the Dominican Republic. “We need to make harmonious use of our resources,” Lendor told El Despertador, framing the issue as a key priority for the long-term health of both the Dominican public and its vital tourism economy.