The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic

THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

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Genoa, who in 1924 formed what has become

one of the Dominican Republic’s most important

corporate ventures, INICIA (previously known

as Vicini Group), a sugar exporter and agribusi-

ness enterprise.

Today, Italian soccer players are

represented widely on Dominican teams, and an

ever-expanding class of entrepreneurs is active in

Dominican commercial and social circles.

To maintain connections to their home-

land, many Italian-Dominicans belong to social

organizations such as InterNations Dominican

Republic. The organization’s brochure states

that Italian expatriates from Rome, Naples, Mi-

lan, and regions such as Lombardy meet regu-

larly to network, engage in a range of activities,

and most importantly dine on Italian cooking.

Culinary gatherings have become most impor-

tant in networking and maintaining pride in the Italian culture; there is a yearly event called Italian Cuisine

Week that highlights food from various regions of Italy while promoting business opportunities in the Domin-

ican Republic.

To reinforce pride in their new homeland, groups of Italian-Dominicans have even fashioned

a popular T-shirt which shows the flags of both countries linked by an equal sign that states proudly “Perfec-

tion.” As Ramiro Espino, Executive Vice President of CONDEX, a state body responsible for developing pol-

icies aimed at Dominican communities abroad, states, “There is a large Italian community in the Dominican

Republic. It is perfectly integrated into the country’s social fabric and actively contributes to the economy…

Italians love the Dominican Republic and feel at home and at ease.”

Trade, Investment, and Tourism

The critical element of Italian and Dominican relations in the modern era has been expanded trade, both imports

and exports, along withmodest but growing investment, as Italian companies see the Dominican Republic as a rel-

atively stable and promising site for its capital projects. On the trade side, there is an expanding market in Italy for

Dominican agricultural commodities and natural resources. Products such as cacao beans, bananas, coffee beans,

rum, and various other staples are the result of purely climatic conditions and typical of countries whose products

could not grow in areas without a tropical climate. Also, the Dominican Republic has a thriving export market for

certain natural resources, such as ferronickel and gold, that are attractive in the Italian marketplace.

Trade between Italy and the Dominican Republic has expanded significantly in recent years, especially ex-

ports from the Dominican side. In 2019, Italian imports totaled US$66.47 million. Topping the list of imports

were grains, ferronickel, gold, rum, and plantains. Italian exports in 2019 totaled US$413.54 million, with plas-

tic manufactured goods, asphalt, automobiles/motorcycles, and machinery leading the way.

In 2020, global

trade has taken a hit as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but because the Dominican Republic is viewed as

a reliable trading partner with a growing demand for manufactured goods, trade between the two countries

will likely rebound.

Besides trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) has played a major role in deepening the ties between Italy and

the Dominican Republic. In 2019, Italian companies invested US$56.9 million in the Dominican Republic, up from

US$24million in 2018. Total Italian FDI in theDominicanRepublic in 2015was US$106.9million, or approximately

1% of Italian FDI.

As with Italian trade, Italian-based investments cover a wide range of capital projects. Investors

Palaces in the historical

center of Genoa.