The streets around the Basilica of Our Lady of La Altagracia in Higüey look a lot different this week. Dominican tourism minister David Collado has unveiled RD$25.6 million worth of upgrades to the public spaces surrounding the country's most important Catholic shrine — a modest-sounding sum that covers a lot of practical ground for the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and visitors who pass through each year.
The works span 505 square metres and are less about monuments than everyday usability. Cobblestone sidewalks and curbs have been rebuilt, a new pedestrian crossing now sits at the basilica's main entrance, and the area has gained concrete paving, planters, fresh trees, lighting, road posts and accessibility ramps — a real plus for elderly pilgrims and anyone with limited mobility, who make up a significant share of the visitors here.
Why does a sidewalk project matter? La Altagracia province is the engine room of Dominican tourism, home to Punta Cana's resort strip, and Higüey's basilica is its spiritual anchor. Devotees travel from across the country — and increasingly from the Caribbean and Latin America — to honour the Virgin of La Altagracia, the patroness of the Dominican Republic, especially around her feast day on 21 January. The government is clearly banking on that draw: Collado also flagged more than RD$1.646 billion in infrastructure delivered in the province, including the Pilgrimage Boulevard and surrounding streets, Women's Park, Verón Boulevard, the access road to Macao Beach and road works in Bayahíbe.
For travellers, the tie-in is simple. Higüey sits roughly an hour inland from Punta Cana, making the basilica one of the easiest cultural escapes from an otherwise beach-locked holiday. Better pavements, crossings and lighting mean the visit is less of an adventure and more of a stroll — you can pair a morning at the shrine with lunch in town, then be back at your resort by the afternoon.
It also signals where the Dominican Republic is steering its next phase of growth. Beyond sun and sand, the country is investing in religious and heritage tourism, and Higüey is the flagship. If you're the kind of traveller who likes to see the living, local side of a destination rather than just its coastline, this corner of the east is becoming considerably easier to explore.
With smoother access to Macao Beach and Bayahíbe also in the works, a day trip loop from Punta Cana — basilica, beach, and back — has never been more straightforward.
Story via Dominican Today.
