In a public ceremony held in the city of Higüey, Dominican Republic, Tourism Minister David Collado officially inaugurated a comprehensive RD$25.6 million infrastructure improvement project focused on the public spaces surrounding the Basilica of Our Lady of La Altagracia, the country’s most revered Catholic religious pilgrimage site. The targeted upgrade spans 505 square meters of high-traffic public area adjacent to the basilica, delivering a full suite of accessibility and aesthetic enhancements: newly reconstructed cobblestone sidewalks and reinforced curbs, a designated safe pedestrian crossing at the site’s main entrance, durable smooth concrete paving, decorative native plant planters, newly planted shade trees, ADA-compliant accessibility ramps for visitors with mobility challenges, upgraded energy-efficient public lighting, and clearly marked protective road posts. During the inauguration address, Minister Collado emphasized that the renovations are designed to transform the basilica’s immediate surroundings into a far more welcoming, navigable, and dignified space for the hundreds of thousands of national and international pilgrims and casual tourists who visit the sacred site every year. He also contextualized the new project as part of a far broader, province-wide infrastructure investment push overseen by his administration, which has now delivered more than RD$1.646 billion in completed public works across La Altagracia province to date. The larger portfolio of completed upgrades includes the sprawling Pilgrimage Boulevard, full street overhauls across the entire district surrounding the basilica, the newly built Women’s Park, the multi-lane Verón Boulevard, a paved high-capacity access road leading to the popular coastal destination of Macao Beach, and a series of critical road network upgrades serving the eco-tourism hub of Bayahíbe. The coordinated investment strategy forms a core pillar of the Dominican Republic’s national plan to diversify its tourism offering beyond traditional coastal beach resorts, by elevating the experience of religious, cultural, and nature-focused travel across its eastern provinces.
David Collado inaugurates RD$25.6 million project around the Basilica of Our Lady of La Altagracia
