Miches is a town located in El Seibo province in the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic. The community sits between the northern slopes of the :es:Cordillera Oriental |Cordillera Oriental and the southern shore of the Samaná Bay. Miches is an emerging rural community, so that it has limited access to markets, low levels of education and limited opportunities for employment; according to the National Office of Statistics of the Dominican Republic, 70.7% of households in El Seibo lived in poverty in year 2010. With the commercial fishing growth and the increase of local population, Miches is also perceiving the strain of overuse of water, in addition to coral reefs sedimented by the increasing runoff from land caused by agricultural activity.
Origin of name
In 1936, the community formerly known as El Jovero changed its name -through Act No. 1181, published in the Official Gazette No. 4956-, in honor of the Dominican General :es:Eugenio Miches|Eugenio Miches.
Economic activity
Miches has traditionally been a humble community in one of the poorest regions of the Dominican Republic. Agriculture -particularly the cultivation of rice, coconut, cocoa and tubers like yautía and ñame- cattle ranching, artisanal fishing, local handicrafts and small businesses are the main economic engines of the area. Due to its geographical location, with the sea to the north and a mountain range to the south, Miches has historically lived isolated, which has impacted negatively to economic development. In recent years, improvements have been seen in the roads connecting Punta Cana, Santa Cruz de El Seibo and Sabana de la Mar, which have opened a new channel of communication that favors the diversification of the economy and an incipient development of tourism.
Tourism development
Miches has a great tourism potential. The extension of its beaches, and its irregular coasts creating unique landforms, providing all the means for potential tourism. The area has mangroves, coconut trees, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, caves and tropical forests. Miches will be the location of the project Tropicalia, a sustainable tourism and real estate development of Cisneros Real Estate, a division of Cisneros. Tropicalia will entail an investment of US$310 million and will generate around 1,800 jobs. Since 2008, promotes, through , the sustainable social and economic development of Miches, working in the areas of environment, education, productivity, and socio-cultural advocacy. The construction of new roads and the announcement of major projects have fostered the development of tourism in Miches, with the appearance of small local businesses and the creation of tourism clusters.
