Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

attracting converts.
Economy
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): About US$5.8 billion in 1996,
or approximately US$716 per capita.
Agriculture: Declining in significance since 1960s when
agriculture employed almost 60 percent of workforce,
accounted for 25 percent of GDP, and generated 80 to 90
percent of total exports. By 1992 sector's share of exports had
dropped to 43 percent and it employed 28 percent of labor
force. By end 1995, agriculture's share of GDP at 12.7 percent
and it employed 12.9 percent of workforce. Importance of
sugar, traditionally major crop, has declined steadily; other
significant crops: coffee, cocoa, and tobacco. Implementation
of Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) (see Glossary) provided
reduced tariff access to United States market for such items as
ornamental plants, winter vegetables, spices, nuts, citrus, and
tropical fruits.
Industry: Domestic manufacturing and assembly operations in
free zones accounted for 18.3 percent of GDP in 1998.
Domestic manufacturing, including consumer goods, food,
and cigar production, grew by 10.1 percent in first half 1998.
Growth resulted partly from dramatic increase in United States
demand for cigars, for which Dominican Republic is leading
supplier. Industrial free zones numbered thirty-three by 1995
and employed some 165,000 workers in 469 companies;
number of employees increased to 182,000 in 1997, but
number of firms operating in free zones dropped to 434. Freezone
exports generated needed foreign exchange: US$2
billion in 1996 and US$3.8 billion in 1997—almost 75 percent
of total Dominican export earnings.
Services: Tourism leading service industry; generated more
than US$1.55 billion in foreign exchange in 1995 and US$2.1
billion in 1997. Sector employed 44,000 hotel workers directly
and additional 110,000 indirectly. Number of tourists almost
tripled in ten years, from 278,000 in 1975 to 792,000 in 1985,
surpassed 1 million in 1987, and jumped to 1,766,800 in 1994
to 1,930,000 in 1996 to 2,211,000 in 1997. In 1997 country
became second largest earner of tourism dollars in Caribbean,
after Mexico.
Currency: Issued by Central Bank of the Dominican Republic
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